


Beautiful, Safe and Loved

by sparkinglovingheart



Series: Post Civil War Age-Play Fics [6]
Category: Marvel, Marvel (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Affection, Age Play, Anxiety Disorder, Bathing/Washing, Children's Stories, Clinging, Crying, Cuddling & Snuggling, Daddy Kink, Diapers, Don't Like Don't Read, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Forehead Kisses, I mean i don't hate team iron man but it might come across that way, Infantilism, Lactation, Lullabies, Medication, Night Terrors, Non-Sexual Age Play, Not Team Iron Man Friendly, Nursing, Other, Panic Attacks, Past Rape/Non-con, Past Sexual Abuse, Past Torture, Pet Names, Post-Captain America: Civil War (Movie), Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Protective Natasha Romanov, Protective Steve Rogers, Psychological Trauma, Rape, Rape Aftermath, Rape Recovery, Self-Harm, Self-Hatred, Separation Anxiety, Speech Disorders, Stuffed Toys, Stuttering, Therapy, Thumb-sucking, Wanda Maximoff Needs a Hug, Wetting, and it's definitely not vision friendly, pietro deserves wonderful things, pull ups, selective mutism, that needs to be a tag, wanda has her brother wrapped around her finger
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-13
Updated: 2017-01-20
Packaged: 2018-07-14 20:00:13
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 36
Words: 78,209
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7188044
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sparkinglovingheart/pseuds/sparkinglovingheart
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Wanda woke up sobbing and screaming, hands grabbing at her hair and trying to pull at it as hard as she could, biting and scratching at her arms and legs as her body writhed under the sheets. And then-no, there were hands on her again, they were touching her and trying to hold her back-</p><p>“Wanda! Calm down, baby. It’s okay, you’re okay. It was just a dream.” </p><p>Daddy’s hands. Safe hands.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Just a little thing I wrote really quick. It's probably terrible, so forgive any errors. 
> 
> DD/LG and MD/LG are here-just basically all Age-Play, so if that's not your thing, skip it. 
> 
> Also, there are elements of self harm within the story. It's pretty minor (I think three lines or so at the most) but I do have it tagged just in case.

_Wanda_ _had heard it before._

_“Fucking monster. Fucking freak.”_

_Sharp objects digging into her body, breaking the skin until she was bleeding all over her arms, her legs. The hands everywhere were rough. They yanked at her hair, slapped her face, slammed her against the wall. They fastened the collar around her neck and pressed the button until she was throwing up and sobbing._

**_Daddy, Mama, come find me. Where are you? Why did you leave?_ **

**_I was bad. I’ll be good. I promise. I’ll never be an awful girl again. I’ll be good, I’ll be so good._ **

_There was a face that belonged to the hands. He was smiling down at her, but it wasn’t a nice smile. Wanda wanted to get away from him, and struggled against the bonds that were keeping her strapped to the operating table. She would have used her powers, but every time she tried, they used the collar._

_The face was talking._

_“Do you want to play a game, sweetie? This will feel good, I promise.”_

_She shook her head frantically, as much as she could. “I wanna go home.”_

_“Oh, but you’re gonna like this. See, you’ll like it. Open your mouth. Wait, no. I’m going to touch you first.”_

_“No!” Wanda tried to think back to everything Mommy and Daddy had said to do if anyone tried to touch her that way-yell, kick, use her powers, run away, tell somebody._

_But she could only do one of those things and it wasn’t helping._

_She started to cry._

Wanda woke up sobbing and screaming, hands grabbing at her hair and trying to pull at it as hard as she could, biting and scratching at her arms and legs as her body writhed under the sheets. And then-no, there were hands on her again, they were touching her and trying to hold her _back-_

“Wanda! Calm down, baby. It’s okay, you’re okay. It was just a dream.” 

 _Daddy’s hands._ Safe hands. 

Wanda slid off the bed and curled up in a heap on the floor, sobbing into her arms. “Daddy, I didn’t want to! I promise! I didn’t want to!”

“Shhh, shhh.” Steve sat next to her and pulled her into his lap. “I know, princess. I know.”

He didn’t know. Wanda hadn’t told him everything that had happened, least of all that. But she didn’t care at the moment, she just cried into his shoulder as he rocked her and shushed her.

“Daddy’s got you, angel. Daddy’s here now. Shhh, deep breaths. Good job, you’re such a good girl.” 

_No, I’m not._

_I’m the worst, most disgusting and horrible, awful, bad girl in the whole world._

Steve stood up suddenly and Wanda screamed, reaching up and clutching at him. “No! Don’t go, Daddy! I’ll be good, I’ll be good!”

“Wanda, shhh. I’m not leaving. I was just going to go get you some water, but you can come with if you want. And you don’t have to let go, okay? C’mere.” He leaned down and picked her up, pressing a kiss to her cheek. “You know what? You are my perfect baby girl. And I love you so much.” 

“I love you too,” Wanda rubbed her eyes with her fists before jamming her thumb into her mouth and biting on it hard. Steve winced and took her hand. 

“I’ve got to find you something else to suck on than your thumb. You can’t keep biting it, ladybug, you’re gonna hurt yourself.” 

Wanda didn’t care if she hurt herself or not, but since it was bothering Daddy, she stopped. Steve brought her to the kitchen and filled a cup with water. She was still shaking too badly to hold it, so he helped her, placing his steady hands over her own. “There you go. That’s it. Are you wet?”

She shook her head. It wasn’t unusual for her to have accidents when nightmares showed up, but it seemed to have not happened this time. Even if it had, she wasn’t sure she’d admit it, since it was not only an embarrassing topic, she always felt horrible when it happened. Both Mom and Dad had told her it was fine, nothing to worry about, not to feel bad about it, because they loved her. But Wanda couldn’t help but hate herself every time she woke up and it had happened. She probably put them through enough already. 

“Are you sleepy?” Steve brushed her hair back past her shoulders. 

Wanda shook her head frantically, “I don’t wanna go goodnight! Not ever!”

“You have to sleep, honey. It’s not good to be awake all the time.”

“I can’t go goodnight, Daddy,” she was sobbing again, “I can’t.” 

“Okay, okay.” He scooped her up again and swayed slightly from side to side while rubbing her back. “Do you just want to cuddle for a little while instead? We can watch cartoons if you want.” 

She nodded, still wiping tears off her face. “J-just me an-and you?” 

“Just me and you.” He kissed her cheek. “We’re going to sit together and I’ll hold you as much as you need. What do I always tell you?”

Wanda smiled a little bit. “You say, ‘You are beautiful, you are safe, and you are loved.’ And that you’re gonna stay.” 

“That’s right. Daddy’s always gonna stay.” He grabbed a things out of the cabinets and sat down on the couch with her nestled in his arms before picking up the remote and switching to Netflix. Wanda had her thumb in her mouth again and was biting down until he guided her hand away again and clasped it in his own. 

“You okay, ladybug?” he whispered. 

“Uh-huh. I love you, Daddy.” 

“I love you too. I’ll always keep you safe.”

 

 

Wanda fell asleep again after about three episodes of _Sofia the First_ , around the time that Natasha crept into the living room and asked softly, “She okay?” 

“I think so. Got her down at least. She freaked out when I let go of her, so I didn’t think she was going to fall asleep unless I was holding her.” 

“You are daddy’s little princess, aren’t you?” Natasha’s hand brushed against Wanda’s hair. “She’s got you wrapped around her finger-I think we should really count ourselves lucky we didn’t end up with a spoiled kid. You’d give her everything.” 

“I want to give her everything,” Steve started to rock her again.

“I know,” she sat next to him and switched the TV to the morning news. “Did she say what it was about?”

“No. She won’t talk about it. I think it might have been about the prison, since she won’t say anything about that either.” He sighed, “I just wish she’d actually talk about what’s scaring her, but I can’t see that happening anytime soon. Oh, and she was biting her thumb again.”

“Poor baby. She must have been really shaken up.”

“She was,” he nodded, “I heard Sam too, a little earlier on. Is he okay?”

“Sleeping now,” she nodded, “I went in there, calmed him down, turned on some music, stayed until he fell asleep.”

“He’s not that great at talking about what he’s going through either.” 

“I know. We really need to work on that.” She stood up and tossed a blanket over the two of them. “There. You probably don’t want to jostle her and you look pretty comfortable anyway.” 

“Thanks, Nat.” He smiled at her as she left, then lay back on the couch so Wanda was sleeping right on his chest, with her head over his heart and her legs around his waist. Steve stroked her hair and hummed a little when he heard her whimper.

“Shhh, baby. Daddy’s here. I’m here.”

Wanda’s hands grabbed the fabric of his shirt as they curled into little fists. Clutching at him like he was the safest thing in the world. Steve felt his heart clench up just a little bit.

“You are beautiful,” he murmured, “You are safe. And you are so very loved.” 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I found myself wanting to write more of this. In a way, it's a rewrite of a previous fic, dealing with the same themes, just hopefully with not quite as shitty writing. 
> 
> Again, this fic centers around ageplay and DDLG/MDLG, all of which is nonsexual. If that's not your thing, skip it. :)

Steve told himself that he was not going to push the subject. Wanda had nightmares all the time. Last night hadn’t been a big deal. 

No. 

It had been a _huge_ deal. Because no matter how many times she woke up sobbing, it was usually rare that she was as inconsolable as she had been. These kinds of night terrors where she almost seemed like she was in a trance had been happening more and more often lately. And Steve knew why. 

Whatever they had done to her on the raft, stuck her in a straightjacket and a shock collar, run tests that had left her in the state he had found her in-bruised, bloodied and barely to move. Like she was some kind of science experiment. What else could he expect from a man like Thaddeus Ross? He’d made Bruce’s life hell for the longest time. 

So no matter how much Steve didn’t want to push the subject just because he knew it was going to either end with his little girl in tears or straight out ignoring the question, he couldn’t help but slowly start to drop hints about it after they got up the next morning.

“That was some night, huh?” He said conversationally, “Do you want to talk about it, sweetie? You seemed really scared.” 

Wanda shook her head and popped her thumb in her mouth, mumbling, “I love you, Daddy.”

“I love you too, sweetie, but we need to talk about…” he trailed off. He wasn’t going to get anywhere with this. “Never mind. I just want you to know, it’s important that you tell someone if something is really scaring or upsetting you. Okay?” 

That didn’t warrant a response either. Steve sighed and shifted her so she was sitting on his lap and looking at him. 

“Listen to me, princess,” he said gently, stroking her hair as he spoke, “I know you’re scared. And I know bad things happened to you. But I promise, I’m not going to let anyone hurt you ever again.” Natasha would kill him for saying that. There was no way that Steve was going to be able to keep any member of the team completely safe forever. But his little girl was afraid and all he really cared about in that moment was making it go away. 

“Wanda, can you please just talk to me?” His voice broke a little, “What happened to you?” 

Her lips moved, but no sound came out. Her hands fidgeted with the ruffled skirt of her dress. One pink layer, one white, blue, then pink again. Tony had given it to her. Maybe she didn’t remember that. Maybe she didn’t care. 

“Daddy?” 

Steve caught his breath and put a hand on her shoulder. “Yeah?”

“Sorry I woke you up.” 

His heart sank a bit and he sighed. “Don’t worry about it, ladybug. How about we go get something to eat?” 

She nodded and stood up, holding his hand as tightly as she could. It felt so small and delicate compared to his own, and he was almost afraid of crushing it. Wanda took her thumb out of her mouth long enough to ask, “Where’s Mommy?”

“I’m not sure. Probably on a run or something. Do you want apples?”

She nodded and followed him around the kitchen. Steve was hesitant to let her use knives, but she did her best with one that was slightly more blunt at the edge while he got some milk out of the fridge and peanut butter out of one of the cupboards.

“Honey,” he said softly, taking the knife out of her hands and giving her a cup instead, “I think we should think about therapy again.” 

“Therapy,” she repeated it slowly, like she wasn’t sure what it meant. “Ther-a- _py.”_

“So you can talk about what happened,” he said conversationally, “To someone who really knows what they’re doing.”

“Sam’s a therapist.” She kicked her legs, “I talk to Sam.” 

“Baby, he is, but I think it’s better for you to see someone you don’t already know.” Not to mention that Sam was only starting to get counseling for himself. “You know that if you tell me, nothing bad is going to happen to you, right? You won’t get in trouble or anything.” 

Wanda didn’t say anything once again, just looking at her surroundings like it was all the most interesting thing in the world. They were just at a rented house in D.C, Steve didn’t know how interesting it could possibly be. Sharon had helped set them up in it for awhile. 

“C’mere, baby,” he reached across the table to wipe a smear of peanut butter off of her face. As soon as his hand touched her, Wanda leaned across the table and pressed a kiss to his cheek. “I love you.” 

“I love you too, ladybug. Thank you for the kisses.” He ruffled her hair, “Do you want to play outside for awhile?” 

Wanda looked hesitant and Steve knew why. They were always afraid to take her outside since she was mentally four years old most of the time and had no idea how people were going to react to her. But Steve figured it was a Monday morning, and most people would be off at work and school. He could at least sit with her. 

“I bring Lorna,” Wanda hopped off her chair and ran to her room, coming back with the little stuffed kitten tucked in her arms. “I love her.” 

“I know you do, sweetie. I didn’t know cats could have other cats as pets.”

She looked confused. “They can’t.” 

“Really?” He tickled her a little, “Because you know, Lorna’s your cat and _you_ are a kitten.” 

“I’m not a cat!” She actually smiled a little, “I’m a witch.” 

“You’re a good witch.” He scooped her up into his arms and carried her outside. It was hot out but she barely seemed to notice. The only other person in sight was a car zooming past. Wanda kept her pigtails hanging over her face and Steve had his baseball cap jammed low over his head as he sat with her, picking dandelions that had sprouted up out of the grass. 

“I like the flowers,” Wanda said softly, “Can I give some to Mommy?” 

“I think that’s a great idea, baby. She’ll love them.” He didn’t think there was much of a point in telling her that dandelions were weeds. “So, do you think maybe we could talk now?” 

“About princesses? I like all of them, but especially Elsa because I know how she feels. And I know all the Ariel songs. Wanna hear?” 

“You know I love to hear you sing, but I was really talking about what happened last night and how you’re feeling lately. I know you were really scared. And you might still be scared now. That’s okay, I just want you to be able to talk to me so I can figure out how to help you.” It all sounded too rehearsed-and that was probably because he _had_ rehearsed it before she’d gotten up. 

“No, thank you,” Wanda said politely. 

“Can you tell me _why_ you’re afraid to talk about it?” 

This time she shook her head emphatically, ponytails whipping from side to side. “Uh-uh. No, no, no.”

“Okay,” he sighed as he took her hand and let her lead him back inside and to the couch,“That’s fine, ladybug. I guess we don’t have to talk about it this very second. What do you want to do?” 

Wordlessly, she crawled into his lap, curling up tight and sighing contentedly as he started to rock her. Steve closed his eyes and pressed a gentle kiss to her temple. Just the feeling of her snuggling close to him made him feel full of happiness-even more than the fear he felt when he realized just how much she depended on him-not just for making sure she ate and helping her through panic attacks, but just for someone she could run to whenever she felt a need for comfort and safety. 

Steve patted her backside gently and carefully guided her thumb away from her mouth when she started biting it again. “No, sweetie. Remember how you’re working on trying not to hurt yourself anymore?”

She shook her head and burrowed closer to him, whimpering. He sighed and patted her again, rocking her back and forth. “I know, baby, I know.”

“I don’t wanna talk about it, Daddy.”

“I know,” he repeated in a whisper, “I know.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments are always appreciated! <3


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been meaning to do a day in the life type thing for this verse forever and I finally got around to it. I don't know if this sucks or not, but hey, I gave it my best shot. 
> 
> Thank you so much for your lovely comments guys, they made me really happy <3

**_8:30 AM_ **

It was rare that Steve slept this late-he was usually up by six, but he had been exhausted lately, and so had everyone else. After everything that had happened with the accords, they just needed some time to themselves. 

He and Sam had gotten an evening together the previous night, and Wanda was sleeping in Natasha’s bed.

They never did get her to sleep alone, but it wasn’t really a bad thing. Both Steve and Natasha often found her presence comforting. 

“I’m gonna go get her up and ready,” he told Sam softly, “Try and get some more sleep, yeah?”

“I’m not tired.” He shrugged, “You want me to help?”

“Nah, I’ve got it.” 

Natasha was still asleep, but Wanda was starting to show signs of waking. Steve could always tell when she was in that place between dreaming and reality-she’d moan, move around restlessly, and mumble things he couldn’t make out. Right now she was curled into a ball with her eyes barely open and her thumb in her mouth. 

“Hey, ladybug,” Steve whispered, picking her up and kissing her cheek. “Did you sleep good?” 

He didn’t really expect her to answer. Wanda was shy in general, and even if it was lesser around him, there were times of the day when she wasn’t very talkative. Instead of responding, she just wrapped her arms around him and hid her face in the crook of his neck. Steve rubbed her back soothingly. “It looks like it’s gonna rain today, but maybe we can go outside a little before that, okay? How about we get you dressed first?”

Wanda turned around a little and made a grabbing motion towards the bed. “Lorna!”

“I’ve got her,” Steve said soothingly, kneeling down slightly to pick up the stuffed cat and set it in her arms. “There you go, hon. Ready?” 

She chewed her lip. “You’re gonna stay?”

“Of course I am,” he smoothed her hair back, “I’m not going to leave, I’m going to be right here to help you the whole time. Daddy’s not going to leave you, sweetheart.” 

Wanda still looked a little hesitant, but the tone of Steve’s voice seemed to be enough to make her trust he was telling the truth, even if she whimpered loudly when he set her down.

“I’m right here, baby, I’m right here,” he said soothingly, “Daddy’s not gonna leave you. You’re doing such a good job. I’m really proud of you.” 

Wanda clutched at him, holding a fistful of his shirt in one hand while she sucked her thumb with the other. Steve opened the closet up and pulled a dress out before turning to gently unbutton her nightgown and slip it past her shoulders. Wanda tensed up a little bit, which gave him pause-she had never seemed uncomfortable when he had gotten her dressed before. 

“You okay, baby?” He cupped her face in his hands. “If you need a minute, you can tell me.” 

She shook her head, “Uh-uh.” 

“Do you need to go to the bathroom?”

She shook her head again and leaned forward into his arms. “I wanna give hugs.” 

“I know, you do. We can give hugs after you’re dressed, sweetheart. You’re still wet and I need to do your hair. Arms up.” 

Wanda let him help her get ready without squirming like she usually did, but that honestly worried him more. She was shy, yes, but she was also normally so happy and excited for the day.  Steve tried not to let his concern show and as soon as he was done dressing her and putting her hair up in pigtails, picked her up again and kissed her forehead. “There, that wasn’t so bad. I’m gonna go make breakfast now, okay?” 

Wanda nodded. “I help you?” 

“Sure, you can help me. You’re a great helper.” He took her into the kitchen and pulled a few things out, still holding her hand. “What do we need for pancakes?”

“Flour. But not the kind you have in a garden, because those aren’t for eating. Those are for the unicorns.” 

Steve tried not to laugh. “That’s right, honey. Oh, here’s the flour we need. Do you think Sam and Natasha are going to be happy when they wake up?”

“Yeah!” That actually got her to smile. “I like to make them happy.”

“I know you do. And both of them love you very, very much,” he assured her. “You are a wonderful daughter. Here, can you mix this for me, please?” 

Wanda nodded and moved the spoon around, still turning around every now and then to make sure he was still there. By the time they were finished, both Sam and Natasha had gotten up and wandered into the kitchen.

“Did you help Daddy?” Natasha hugged her daughter close, “Good job, baby girl.” 

“We made food.”

“I see that. Go sit down so you can eat, okay?”

Wanda tugged on her hand. “You sit too.”

“Just gimme one second, honey. Go snuggle with Sam.”

She giggled and ran over to the man, crawling up in his lap. He kissed her forehead. “Hey, skittle. I haven’t gotten to hug you today.” 

“I helped Daddy,” she informed him. 

“I know you did. You’re such a great helper to have around. I like your hair today.” 

“Thank you.” She reached up to touch it, “It’s my princess hair.”  

“Because you’re a princess, right?” He grinned and tickled her just a little bit, feeling his heart lift as she laughed. 

“I’m not a princess! Not a real one. Just pretend.” 

Sam held her a little closer. “That’s good enough for me, skittle.” 

 

**_10: 15 AM_ **

Natasha rubbed her daughter’s back, letting her know that she was there and that she was safe. Wanda was stretched out, lying on her stomach, arranging and rearranging her Sylvanian Families in little groups while the soundtrack to _The Little Mermaid_ was playing. “Mommy, they’re having a party. Do you want to play too?”  
“Sure, kitten.” She got on her stomach too, lying right across from her. “What kind of party is it?”

Wanda thought for a moment, then said decidedly. “Birthday. The baby’s turning one year old and all their friends are coming. If I had friends, I’d invite them to my birthday too. And I would share all my things, because that’s really important.” 

Natasha knew she didn’t mean anything by saying that, her tone was so nonchalant, but she couldn’t help but feel a little pang in her heart at hearing those words. Every now and then, she was reminded of how lonely Wanda probably was for a friend like her. 

“Look, look.” The girl was pressing something into her hand now, “It’s the mommy. Just like you. And this one,” she picked up another bunny, “Is Daddy. He came with a wife, but I gave him a husband instead, because he and Sam are gonna get married, I think.”

“Tell Daddy to get a move on with it,” she joked, “Because he is totally stalling. Which one is you?”

“This one,” she held up a little bunny. “She’s smaller than the other ones. We can pretend she’s me now, but I named her Miselda too.” 

Natasha had never heard the name Miselda before and figured it must be Romani. She smiled and nodded along as Wanda set up a little makeshift birthday party, occasionally glancing at the clock to see what time it was. After almost an hour and a half, she said, “This has been really fun, but it’s time to go out, kitten. We need to get groceries, and then you can I can grab some lunch.”

“Okay, Mommy.” She started to pick things up so she could put them away, “I clean up first.” 

“Good job, hon. Go to the bathroom before we leave.” Wanda was stressed out enough lately and an accident when they were out was the last thing the poor kid needed.

“I will. Can Lorna come?” 

“Of course she can. We can’t forget Lorna, right?” She kissed her forehead. “Come on, let’s get you ready.” 

**_12:30 PM_ **

Natasha thanked her lucky stars that it was busy out that day. The store was crowded and nobody was going to notice them as long as they kept a low profile. Wanda held her hand tight and stayed quiet throughout the trip unless she was answering a question. Natasha wasn’t going to lie, that _did_ worry her a bit. Was Wanda too shy? She should be more confident, shouldn’t she? Why did she seem to shrink every time she was around other people? 

“Mommy.” Wanda spoke on her own, surprising the other woman. “Apples.” 

“Oh, we do need apples, don’t we?” She said a bit absentmindedly as she grabbed a pack of cookies off the shelf, “Nice memory. You’re a really good shopping buddy, hon. Hold onto me, I don’t want you to get lost.” She had only lost Wanda in a store once and she hoped it would never happen again-she’d practically had a heart attack. “Let’s just grab a few more things and then we’re going to go get something to eat, okay?” 

Wanda looked around nervously, pressed her feet together and wrung her hands before she reached up and started yanking hard on her hair and clawing at her neck. Natasha dropped what she was holding and grabbed both her hands. “Wanda. No.” 

She whimpered and shook her head. _“Mommy.”_

“Calm down, hon, you’re fine,” she tried to sound as calm as possible, “Do you need to sit down for a minute?”

“No,” she shook her head. “No, no, no. I-I don’t know. I don’t know, Mommy.”

“Okay, okay.” Natasha smoothed her hair back, “Don’t worry, baby girl. Just hold my hand and we’re going to get out of here real quick, okay? I’m right here, and I love you so much.” She made a mental note to let Steve know about this. Wanda seriously needed to see a therapist, and Tony had already referred them to one, they just had to set something up. She sent a quick text as they walked through the checkout, keeping one hand on her daughter’s shoulder, and breathing a sigh of relief as soon as they were back in the car. “You sure you’re okay to go get lunch, honey?”

She nodded. “I’ll be a good girl.” 

“I know, baby. You’re always very good.” She said soothingly as she switched on the stereo. “I love you.” 

She blushed and looked down. “I love you too.” 

 

**_1:40 PM_ **

Wanda was a pretty easy kid to work with most of the time, but on days like today when she got particularly clingy, she _hated_ to take naps. Natasha could usually get her to go down if she cuddled with her for awhile, but the girl was almost panicking about it right now. 

“Sweetheart, you’re tired and worked up,” Natasha said gently, “It’s not going to hurt if you just lie down for awhile.”

“I can’t,” she sobbed, “I don’t want to! I can’t, Mommy! I don’t want to fall asleep, because then I can’t see you! And Daddy’s gone! He’s never gonna come back, and I made him leave and-”

“Oh, honey,” she sighed and pulled her close, “Daddy just went out with Sam for awhile. He would never leave you, you’re his baby.” 

As if on cue, the front door opened and Steve called out a hello. Natasha breathed a sigh of relief. “We’re in here! Did you guys have fun?”

“Yeah, it was nice to have some more time together,” he said casually as he walked in, “Oh, what’s wrong?”

“She’s a little fussy, that’s all. And she doesn’t want to sleep.”

“Aw, sweetie,” Steve picked Wanda up and kissed the top of her head, “I could really use a nap, actually. Do you think you could keep me company?” 

She rubbed her eyes and thought for a moment, then nodded. “I help you.” 

“Thank you so much.” He smiled at Natasha before getting on the bed with his daughter cradled in his arms. “Did you have fun with Mommy?” 

“Uh-huh,” she was sucking her thumb again, which made him cringe, but since she had seemed so distressed a minute ago, he didn’t say anything about it. “We went to the store and I helped.”

“I heard you were a little upset about something,” he said gently, “What was that about?” 

Wanda opened her mouth to tell him, then shut it quickly. The words weren’t going to come out, and even if she did tell him what she couldn’t stop thinking and dreaming about and seeing everywhere she went, she was so, so ashamed of it that she didn’t think he’d ever look at her the same way again. 

The man had said she’d liked it-and she didn’t think she did, but if he said so, she must have. She had liked it when he did the bad things to her, and that made her a terrible, awful person. 

“Nothing,” she whispered finally, hiding her face in his chest. “N-nothing.” 

“Baby girl, look at me.” Steve pulled back a little and met her eyes. “You can tell me anything. You know that, right?”

_Not this not this not this_

“I know.” 

**_3:01 PM_ **

Wanda was awake and reading a story with Sam when Natasha let Steve know that the therapist Tony had recommended had called and left a message. 

“I’ll call them back,” he picked up his phone. “Was she really that upset today?”

“Something spooked her. I don’t know what.” 

He sighed as he redialed the number and waited for it to pick up. After a few minutes, a woman on the other end answered and connected him to the doctor. 

“It’s nice to hear from you, Captain Rogers,” he said in a friendly tone, “Mr. Stark told me a little about the situation.” 

“Call me Steve. And thank you.” He leaned against the wall. “Doctor Samson, right?”

“Yes. Leonard Samson. The girl in question…”

“Wanda,” he said immediately, “Wanda Maximoff. She’s my-uh, adopted daughter.”

“And she’s physically nineteen, mentally a child?” 

“Yes,” he blinked in surprise. “Tony told you?”

“He explained as much as he could.”

“Oh.”

“And trust me, I’ve been doing this a long time and I am more than happy to see her. I’d like to talk to you or any other caregiver too. What days work for you?”

“Anything is fine, really. We’re really free most days,” he cleared his throat, “The thing is…I’m just really not sure what did happen to her. I know something went on, and when I found her she looked like she had just been tortured-I think it was because she was the only person there who had physical superpowers-but she won’t talk to me about it.”

“That’s fine. It’s not unheard of at all for children to be hesitant to talk about abuse. Does tomorrow work, maybe around ten thirty?” 

“That sounds fine. Thank you so much, Doctor Samson.” 

“No thanks needed. I’ll see you soon.” 

Steve hung up and turned to look at Natasha, “Ten thirty tomorrow.” 

“Steve, she’s _so_ shy and her anxiety lately has been fucking awful.What if she freaks?”

“I guess we’ll have to deal with it. He’s a psychologist and he sounded nice enough, I’m sure he knows what he’s doing.” Steve couldn’t help but feel nervous about it too, but he wanted to think that things would go well. 

“Daddy!” Wanda ran over, “Sam read me stories!”

“He did? That was so nice of him,” he pulled her into his arms, “Did you tell him thank you?” 

“Uh-huh. And I gave hugs.” 

“I’m sure he appreciated that.” He looked up at Sam, “Thanks.” 

“Don’t thank me, I like spending time with her.” 

“Well, still. I appreciate it.” Steve picked her up and sat down with her in his lap. “Wanda, you know what we’re going to do tomorrow? It’s a really good thing.” 

She looked confused. “What is it?” 

“Well,” he said slowly, “There’s a really nice man-a doctor-who you’re going to go and talk to.” 

“How come?”

He thought fast. “Because it’s good for you to talk about how you’re feeling, and he’s a professional who knows how to help you work through it.” 

Her eyes welled up. “I can’t talk about it, Daddy! I can’t!”

“Sweetheart, I know it seems scary, but you won’t be alone. We’re going to go with you, and you don’t have to say anything you don’t want to. You’re just going to meet someone new, and he’s really nice. I promise.” 

Wanda shook her head and started full on sobbing. “Don’t make me go! I don’t want to talk about it! I can’t, I can’t, I can’t!”

“Shhh, baby. It’s okay, it’s okay,” Steve rubbed her back. “I promise it’s going to be fine.” 

“Don’t make me! I’ll be good, I promise! I’ll be good!”

“You are already good,” he said firmly, “You’re my sweet little girl and I love you so much. You’re not in trouble at all. This isn’t a punishment or-“

“You’re gonna hate me!” She wailed, “I was so bad!”

“Wanda Maximoff, I could never, ever hate you,” he met her eyes again. “I _love_ you. You’re my baby. Whatever happened is not going to make me hate you at all.”

“It will! It will because _I_ hate me!” 

Steve took a deep breath. “I don’t want you to hate yourself Wanda. You’re a wonderful girl.” 

“No, I’m not,” she curled up on the floor with her knees to her chest. “I’m not.”

“Sweetheart.” 

Wanda still cried when he picked her up again and held her for what was just a few minutes but felt like hours. She grabbed onto him like she was never going to let go.

“You are,” he whispered, “You are.” 

“Calm her down,” Natasha said quietly, “How about you guys watch TV for a little bit?”

“That’s a good idea.” Steve couldn’t think of anything else they could do at the moment than distract her. 

Seeing the therapist was _definitely_ needed.

 

**_5:00 PM_ **

Wanda usually calmed down a little bit after Steve put on a Disney movie for her, so by the time they had finished _Tangled,_ she had stopped crying and was quietly cuddled up on his lap with her thumb in her mouth again. Steve stroked her hair and hummed quietly. “Do you want to play, sweetie?”

She nodded. “But not hide and seek. I wanna stay with you.” 

“That’s fine, ladybug. Daddy’s gonna stay right here with you. Hey, I think you’re wet, so how about we get you cleaned up first?” 

She blushed and shook her head, “Am not.” 

“It’s not a big deal, honey. C’mere,” he kissed her cheek. “I love you, remember?” 

Wanda nodded slowly, but wouldn’t look right at him. 

Steve was starting to think that she was having a hard time remembering lately. 

 

**_7:00 PM_ **

Steve had a lot of fun with Wanda most of the time, but things had a lot of fun with her most of the time, but things had been harder lately. Seeing his precious little girl in pain was not his idea of a good time. 

So he tried to keep her occupied for the next several hours. It didn’t matter that he had played Candyland a million times before, read the same books over and over, attended more Barbie weddings than he could count. He couldn’t let her cry again. He couldn’t let her break down that way. 

It was starting to rain outside and Wanda had her face pressed up against the window. “Look, Daddy.” 

“I see it.” He sat next to her, “Where’s the rain coming from, up or down?” 

“Up!” She pointed to the ceiling, “But then it falls to the ground and that’s all down.” 

“That’s right. Where’s the sun?” 

“Up. In the sky. I like the sky.” She lay on her back and pointed her arms and legs upwards, “Because you can fly there. And Sam doesn’t even need planes. He has wings! If I had wings, I want them to be like a butterfly.” 

“Oh, you’re already my little butterfly.” He laughed, “Prettiest girl in the whole wide world. Can you show me how to fly?” 

“Like this!” She jumped up and ran around with her arms spread out, “See? I’m a butterfly!”

“Whoa, you are!” He laughed and caught her before swinging her up in his arms and spinning her around. Wanda held onto him tight and giggled, “You made me really fly!”

“You can make me fly too, remember? I think you _are_ a butterfly.” 

“And your princess?”

“Yes,” he kissed her, “You are my princess too.” 

 

**_8:30 PM_ **

It was Sam’s turn to cook dinner, and Wanda was more than happy to help him. She watched what he was doing carefully, grabbing what he needed when asked, and cleaning things up afterwards. Sam ruffled her hair, messing her pigtails up a little bit. “Thanks for helping me out, skittle.” 

“You’re welcome.” She seemed to perk up a little as soon as he thanked her. If there was one thing Wanda liked, it was being praised. “I like helping.”

“I know you do. You’re just like…what’s that princess who had the mean stepsisters again? Belle?”

She laughed and shook her head. “No!”

“Oh, you’re right. It was the mermaid.” 

“No, no!” She kept laughing and hung unto his arm, “It’s Cinderella!”

Sam slapped his forehead in mock surprise. “How did I not remember that? Thank God I have a princess expert around.” 

“Cinderella is my favorite,” Wanda told him. “I wish I looked like her.”

“Why? You’re perfect the way you are. I love the way you look.” He squeezed her hand. “Turn the oven on, okay?”

“Okay!” She darted over and turned the dial around. They never let her play with the stove when she was alone, so getting to help in the kitchen was always exciting. “Sam, did you see the rain?”

“I saw it, baby. I think it’s going to rain a lot this week.”

“I don’t like the thunder.” 

“Yeah,” he sighed, “Me neither. Not one bit, actually. But you and I are gonna get through it together, okay?” 

She took his hand. “Promise?”

“I absolutely promise.” 

 

**_10:30 PM_ **

Every time Steve gave Wanda a bath, it turned into a splash fight. 

Well, almost every time. Right now, she seemed quiet and withdrawn like she had before. 

“You okay, honey?” He asked her softly, “Do you need something?”

She shook her head and rubbed her eyes with her fists. “Don’t leave me, Daddy.” 

“Daddy’s not gonna leave you, ladybug. I’m right here,” he soothed her, “Do you want to sleep with me tonight?” 

She nodded. “I go goodnight now?”

“Not now, silly, you’re still wet,” he laughed, helping her up and wrapping her in a towel, “Do you want your Elsa nightgown or Ariel?”

“Elsa,” she mumbled, suddenly looking extremely tense. “Can we watch TV?”

“Sure, I don’t see why not,” he agreed, “I’m gonna get you dressed first, okay? Arms up.” 

She still seemed too still to him. Like a little bit of the life and joy that made her who she was had been sucked away. He noticed little bite marks on her thumb and cringed. Sharon had said he needed to spank her for that, but he wasn’t willing to hit her at all, let alone over hurting herself. Sharon was great, but she had a disconnect from how to look after a traumatized toddler. 

“Do you think you could try to not suck your thumb tonight?” he asked gently, “I know it’s hard, but I really don’t want you to keep biting yourself. And you can’t keep pulling your hair and hitting either, baby. I really don’t want you to be hurt.” 

She shrugged and stayed still until he had finally finished getting her ready, taking his hand and going out into the living room. Steve switched Netflix on to _My Little Pony_ and sat down with a book while Wanda half watched, half colored. She made a few scribbles of blue on the edge of the paper, then of grey.

“What are you drawing, sweetie?” Natasha asked her.

Wanda bit her lip. “Someone.” 

“Is it a nice someone?” 

She nodded emphatically, “I love him.”

“What’s his name?” 

She didn’t answer that, but as soon as she thought everyone was looking away, Steve could swear he saw her lips form the name Pietro. 

 

**_12:00 AM_ **

Wanda was falling asleep after a little while, so Steve picked her up and brought her to his bed, leaving for just a moment so he could go get her sippy cup. She didn’t stay hydrated enough.

“Here you go, sweetie,” he handed it to her and lay back down with her in his arms before turning the lights out.

“We go goodnight now?”

“Yeah, baby. It’s time to go goodnight,” he rocked her a little bit. “Do you want a song?”

She nodded against his chest. “The moon one. Please?”

“We can do that.” _I See the Moon_ was a song Steve remembered his parents singing to him. He had memories of his father coming in after work and singing at his bedside when he was sick. Then those memories became just of his mother.

Either way, the song had always put Steve to sleep before, and it had the same effect on Wanda. After the first few verses she had dozed off in his arms. Steve smiled a little and kissed the top of her head. 

“I love you, baby girl. Goodnight.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yikes sorry for the sucky writing everybody. 
> 
> But thank you for your nice words on the last chapter. Much love. <3

Steve hoped his nervousness wasn’t showing. He didn’t want it to rub off on Wanda in any way. She seemed a little out of it, like she had forgotten that he had said he was going to take her to see the therapist, so she was pretty quiet as he got her dressed and ready. Around ten, right before they left, he said as casually as possible, “You ready to go?” 

She looked up from the picture book she was looking at. “Where?” 

“We’re going to talk to the therapist, remember? He seemed very nice on the phone, and I think it’ll be really good for you.” 

Wanda’s face went pale and she stood up, backing away, “No, no, no.” 

Steve looked at Sam worriedly while Natasha reached out to take Wanda’s hand. “Come on, sweetie.” 

“No! I can’t! Don’t make me, Mommy, please don’t make me!”

“Honey, I know this is had for you, but it’s long overdue,” she said gently, “We should have had you see someone as soon as you came to the states. It won’t be scary, I promise.”

Wanda was sobbing now, alternating between yanking her hair and clawing at her face. Steve grabbed both her hands and picked her up. “Wanda, no. You do not hurt yourself, ever, do you understand me?” 

“I have to!” Her voice was almost a scream. “Daddy, don’t make me, please!”

Steve looked at Natasha and Sam and shook his head. “Maybe we shouldn’t do this.” 

“No, we should.” Sam cut in, “Just remember that in the long run it’ll be good for her.”

“She’s completely hysterical. The guy might not be able to even talk to her.” 

“Steve,” he said evenly, “I’ve done stuff like this before-not on this level, but I do know that you just need to push through and take her.” 

“He’s right.” Natasha sighed, “Just hold onto her. I’ll drive.” 

Steve bit his lip as he grabbed Wanda’s hands again. She was usually _happiest_ when she was in his arms. She’d run to him with her arms outstretched asking him to pick her up. She could cling to him for hours if she wanted. 

But she was scared right now. She was scared because of something he was forcing her to do. Steve felt sick to his stomach. 

 

 

Luckily, Dr. Samson’s office was only a fifteen minute drive. Wanda didn’t scream when Steve took her inside, but she did cling to him tightly and refused to let go when they checked in at the front desk. Steve rubbed her back and kissed the top of her head. “It’s gonna be okay, princess. It’s gonna be okay. Can you go to Sam for just a second?”

She nodded, rubbing her eyes with her fists as the other man took her in his arms and went to sit down in a plastic chair near a door. There was soft music playing and a few magazines on a rack mounted on the wall, which was decorated with various watercolor paintings. Sam reached into the bag Natasha had packed and pulled out Lorna. “Hey, look. She’s happy to see you. Maybe if you hug her, you’ll feel a little better.” 

Wanda clutched Lorna to her chest and leaned into Sam’s arms, still sniffling a little bit. Neither one of them noticed a man in a suit and green hair stepping out into the waiting room. Steve looked rather taken aback. “Uh…are you Dr. Samson?” 

“I am.” He shook hands with him and Natasha. “It’s very nice to meet you both. I assume that’s my patient over there?” 

“Yeah, that’s Wanda.” Natasha crossed her arms,“You wanted to talk to us first?”

“Yes, that’s right. Please, come with me.” He ushered them through the hall and into an office. It looked like he’d had children as patients before, since there were toys in bins lined against the wall and coloring pages and crayons set on a table. Steve sat next to Natasha on a couch and briefly gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. Dr. Samson picked up a clipboard and sat across from them. “Mr. Stark said that there was a lot of trauma we’re dealing with here. Can you elaborate on that a little more?” 

Steve cleared his throat. “Uh, well, she’s from Sokovia and her parents were killed in a bombing when she was ten. She and her brother were trapped in the rubble for three days. So that’s kind of enough to cause issues in the first place.” 

“I’d think so. Where is the brother?” 

“Dead. He died last year. That was hard on her too. Before that they were homeless, and then they underwent some kind of experimentation. That’s how she got her powers. As soon as I met her, I could kinda tell something was off-she just acted so much younger than she looked. Her brother explained to me at one point before he died about how she’s usually mentally a little kid.” 

“Mental age regression,” he nodded, “I’ve dealt with it before. Go on.” 

“After he died, she came to live with us.” Natasha said, “But she didn’t speak for almost an entire month. She’d just cry and try to hurt herself, or she’d hide in closets or something. When she started talking, she called us Mommy and Daddy. We…well, we tried to explain to her that we weren’t her parents, but eventually it just didn’t seem like it was really going to _hurt_ her if we took care of her and that’s what she wanted to call us.”

“You’re right. She was seeking comfort and you gave it,” Dr. Samson agreed, “If Wanda is regressed, there’s no harm in acting as parental figures. What led to Mr. Stark calling me?” 

Steve automatically felt guilt wash over him. “You probably saw on the news or something everything that happened with the Sokovia Accords. A man named Thaddeus Ross had her imprisoned. He thought she was dangerous, and they wanted to run tests on her because of her powers. I don’t know what happened exactly. Like I said, she won’t talk about it. But I know that when I found her, she looked like she’d been through hell.” He swallowed hard. “They put her in a straightjacket and a shock collar. And…well, I couldn’t take her to a doctor right away to check, but some of her clothes were missing and there were bruises on her thighs and I just…I think she might have been…”

“Sexually assaulted.” Dr. Samson finished for him, “That’s definitely something we’re going to look into. How has she been since?” 

“She’s a wreck.” Natasha said in a low voice. “She keeps trying to hurt herself, like pulling her hair and clawing at her face and biting herself. She used to suck her thumb a lot and we were fine with it, but now she just hurts herself when she does it. And it’s normal for her to be clingy, but now she’ll freak out and cry if she’s by herself for more than a few minutes.” 

Dr. Samson scribbled something else down, “So what I’m seeing here is Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, tendencies to self harm and separation anxiety. Does that sound about right?” 

They both nodded and Steve added, “She does okay with a few other people. Like Sam out there, she’s fine if it’s just her and him. But she has to really like the person or she’ll panic and go on and on about how she made them hate her and they’re never going to come back because she was bad. That’s another thing she’s been doing a lot lately. She says she’s scared we’re going to start hating her and that she’s a bad girl.” 

“It sounds like there’s a lot going on.” His tone was sympathetic. “I’m sure you’re both doing everything you can. I’d like to see her now, if that’s okay.” 

“Yeah, of course. She just might not do much.” 

“Don’t worry about that. I don’t put expectations on my patients,” he stood up to press a button on his desk. “Jim, can you send them in, please?” 

It took a minute for the door to open again. Sam was holding Wanda’s hand and she had her thumb in her mouth. It didn’t look like she was biting it at the moment, but it still made Steve wince. 

“Hi, Wanda,” Dr. Samson smiled brightly at her. “I’m Dr. Samson. It’s nice to meet you.” 

Wanda looked suspicious and hid behind Sam, lowering her head so her pigtails covered her face. He tried to nudge her forward. “Wanda, can you say hello to the doctor?”

She shook her head and buried her face in his shirt. Steve tried not to panic. “I’m sorry, she’s honestly not trying to be rude. She’s really shy and we’re working on it.”

“I know she’s not being rude, don’t worry,” Dr. Samson said genially, “Why don’t both of you sit down? It’s nice to meet you, Sam.” 

“You too.” He set Wanda in Steve’s lap, where she immediately curled up into a ball with her head on his chest. He tried to shift her so she wasn’t hiding anymore, but Dr. Samson just put a hand up. “Wanda, what do you like to do for fun?”

That seemed to take her by surprise. She shrugged a little bit, then looked up at Steve, who nodded gently. “You like to do lots of things, right, baby?” 

She whispered something in his ear and he repeated it back louder. “That’s right. You like to draw.” 

“Oh, really?” Dr. Samson smiled at her again. “I do too, actually. Would you mind drawing with me? Your daddy can stay with you.”

Wanda looked hesitant, but after a minute, nodded slowly, still clutching onto Steve while Natasha and Sam exited the room. Dr. Samson drew a few circles with a red crayon. “I see you brought a friend. What’s their name?”

Neither one of them was all that surprised when she didn’t answer. She did look at the doctor rather suspiciously, still holding onto Steve with one hand, who whispered to her, “This isn’t so bad, right?”

She leaned up and whispered back. “No talking about it?”

“Not right now,” he assured her, “He just wants to get to know you. Why don’t you say hi?”

Wanda looked back over her shoulder at the man across the table and waved shyly. “Hi. My name is Wanda.” 

“Hey there,” he grinned, “You already know my name, right? I’m really glad you came to hang out with me today.” 

She smiled a little bit. “My kitty is Lorna.”

“Oh, the friend you brought with? Very nice.” He nodded encouragingly, “It helps to have a friend, right? Especially when you’re struggling. I heard you’ve been having a hard time lately.” 

“I guess.” 

“Well, it’s my job to help people who have been through things that are hard for them to deal with alone,” he explained, “When you feel up to it, maybe that’s what we could do. Can I see what you’re drawing?”

She nodded and held the paper up. “Hearts.” 

“I see that. There’s a lot of them,” he nodded, “What else do you like to draw?” 

“Brother. I love him so much,” she started drawing something else, “Pietro. He gives hugs and everything.” 

“Sounds like a pretty cool brother. Mine used to put gum in my hair.” His tone was conversational, but Steve could tell that he was mentally taking notes. “I’m sure you’re a great sister too.” 

Her eyes lit up. “Really?” 

“Oh, yeah. You care about Pietro a lot, right?” 

She nodded without speaking another word. After she was done drawing another picture, she handed it across the table and pressed it into Dr. Samson’s hands. “For you, yes?” 

“For me? Thanks! I love it. How’d you know green was my favorite color?” 

She actually giggled. “Your hair!”

“Oh, that’s right. How could I forget about that?” 

Steve had to admit it, the guy seemed to know what he was doing. Anyone who had a presence that could get Wanda to come out of her shell was someone he could get behind. Even if they knew anyone else who was mentally regressed, she was so shy that he doubted she’d be able to really make friends with them. 

After about an hour, Dr. Samson looked at the clock on the wall and smiled. “Well, it looks like our time is about up. You did great, Wanda.” 

“I did?”

“Totally.” He patted her shoulder, “I’ll see you on Thursday, alright? Steve, I just want to talk to you for one quick second.” 

“Sure.” He ushered Wanda out the door and turned. “So, what do you think?”

“I think she’s suffering a lot and doesn’t know how to handle it. You can tell a lot about what children are going through from what they draw-and hers are erratic.” 

“Can you help her?” 

“I hope so.” He handed him a piece of paper off the clipboard he had been holding. “These are just a few resources you might want to look into-support groups for people who have gone through trauma, and their families. If she starts self harming, make sure to contact me. And I put down a website that sells products for children with sensory issues-it might help to get her something else to bite.” 

“Thank you so much, Dr. Samson,” Steve said gratefully, “I really appreciate it.” 

“No problem at all. I’ll see you Thursday.” 

 

 

Wanda was quiet again on the ride home, not even saying what she wanted when they went through a drive thru. By the time they got home, she ran inside and threw herself on the floor. “Goodnight.”

“It’s not your naptime yet, baby,” Natasha helped her up, “Do you want to cuddle for awhile? I know that today was hard on you.” 

She nodded and let the redhead wrap her arms around her. “Mommy. Mommy, I love you.” 

“I love you too. My little kitten.” She kissed the top of her head. “I’m proud of you.” 

“But I’m bad.” 

“No, you’re not. Don’t-”

She whimpered and hid her face away again. 

And Natasha knew that they weren’t going to get any further that day.


	5. Chapter 5

_Blue square. Red circle. Green triangle. Up._

“What are you building, honey?” Natasha asked from her spot on the couch with a book. 

Wanda didn’t look up from the pile of blocks in front of her. “House.” 

“Oh, that’s nice. Who’s it for?”

It was for Pietro, but Wanda elected not to mention that. Instead, she blew a kiss so just he knew. He always knew. Lorna seemed to like the house too.

“It’s for _him,”_ Wanda informed her in a whisper. 

Lorna cocked her head. _I bet he’ll like it. Don’t forget to make a magic room._

“Oh, right.” She stacked a few blocks on top of each other. “Here it is.”

_Perfect! Hey, do_ **_we_ ** _have a magic room?_

“I don’t think so.” She turned around, “Mommy, do we have a magic room?”

She laughed, “Nope, not that I’m aware of. Why?”

Before Wanda could answer, a knock at the door caused her to freeze, panic, then run to her room and shut the door. She hated strangers and meeting new people was her absolute worst nightmare. She curled up with her thumb in her mouth and Lorna against her chest, shivering. The soft pink walls of her room were safety now, sheltering her. 

A voice in her head was screaming at her. _“You’re stupid! How come you’re so scared of everything now? I know. It’s because you’re a bad, bad girl.”_

Wanda let out a soft whimper and rocked back and forth. “I-I’m a bad girl. I’m _sorry.”_

Outside, she could hear the voices of the others and one new one that she had never heard before. It was almost husky in a way, but kind and gentle. He sounded happy to be there. 

A few minutes passed, and finally, the door creaked open. Steve walked in, knelt down, and lifted her into his arms. “What’s wrong, ladybug?”

She clung to him tight. “Who is that? Did he come to take me away? I don’t wanna go away from you, ever!”

“Shhh, honey. It’s just Mommy and Daddy’s old friend. You’ll like him, and he wants to meet you. His name is Phil.”

“Phil,” she repeated. That didn’t sound so bad. 

“We haven’t seen him for awhile. He was gone for a long time, and then we only got to see him once after that. But after everything that’s happened, he wants to see us again, and he wants to meet you. I promise, he’ll like you. I’ll be right there with you the whole time, okay? You can hold Lorna.” 

It was just a friend. Daddy would be there. He wouldn’t give her to anyone else. Nothing bad would happen. Maybe she could even control her powers if she got really scared. 

_Or maybe you won’t, you stupid bitch._

Steve kept running his hand up and down her back soothingly, whispering to her that it was okay. Just relax. Daddy’s here.

“Oh, is this Wanda? It’s nice to meet you!” 

That voice again, the one that belonged to Phil. Wanda lifted her head slightly to look at him. He was smiling gently and his eyes were full of kindness. She wasn’t exactly _afraid_ of him-but still wary. 

“It’s about her naptime, but I thought she could say hi,” Steve said, “Wanda, this is Phil Coulson. Can you say hi?” 

She reached out a hand and let Phil shake it. Well, he really just shook her finger very lightly, but it was close enough. 

“She doesn’t really talk to people she doesn’t know well,” Steve explained, “Sorry. Honey, do you want to go lie down in bed?” 

Wanda didn’t always like to take naps, but she thought just getting some quiet time would be nice right now. Sam took her hand when Steve set her down and led her back. “Good job, honey. Maybe we can work on actually _saying_ hi next time, okay?” 

Maybe. Maybe. Wanda wasn’t sure what she thought about that idea. Sam pulled up a chair next to her bed. “Do you need to go to the bathroom first?”

She shook her head and climbed under the blankets, closing her eyes as she felt him stroke her hair. That always soothed her. 

“I heard you having bad dreams last night,” he whispered, “I’m sorry. I get them too.” 

She opened her eyes a little. “About the army?”

“Yeah, baby. Sometimes you have to see some really bad things there. It can be hard not to let it affect you, huh? But you know what always helps?”

She shook her head. 

“When I wake up and have someone to talk to and to hang onto. That’s how I know that I’m safe and at home. So when you wake up and you’re scared, don’t ever be afraid to get me or your Mom or Dad. Alright?” 

Wanda nodded, putting her thumb in her mouth. Sam gently pulled it away and got up to get one of the little rings Steve had gotten her to chew on instead. It was at least a better alternative to hurting herself. 

“Sam?” Wanda asked quietly, “Can we please give hugs?”

“You wanna cuddle? Sure, we can do that.” He stood and got in next to her, pulling her against his chest and resuming stroking her hair, sighing a little sadly after a few minutes.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing, sweetie. It’s just that I worry about you sometimes.” 

She frowned. “I don’t want you to worry. I worry. I don’t wanna be away from you and Mommy and Daddy. I-I don’t want to go back there.” 

“I know, baby. I know.” 

 

—————————————

 

Steve, Natasha and Phil managed to make small talk, just catching up for awhile about all that had happened since they’d last seen each other. It had been after all the Shield files were dumped online, but before everything had happened with Ultron. Steve was just ecstatic that the guy was somehow alive, and at this point, he’d accepted that Fury had had his reasons, and they weren’t entirely terrible reasons, for keeping Phil a secret. Maybe he didn’t like it personally, maybe it was something he wouldn’t do, but they had bigger issues. 

“So,” Phil said finally, “Wanda is very sweet.” 

“She is,” Natasha agreed. “I know she’s pretty skittish around new people. She’s just shy, and to tell you the truth, I think she has some kind of anxiety disorder that just got worse after her brother died.” 

His lips tightened into a thin line. “I heard about that. God, he was so damn _young_. I guess they were really close?” 

“He was everything to her. And she was the center of his universe. He took care of her all on his own. I honestly don’t know how, they were homeless in a war torn country with no money. And Romani people are pretty discriminated against in Europe-so I doubt that made it any easier for them.” 

“And she doesn’t have any friends.” 

“No,” she shook her head, “She’s in therapy and we’ve talked a little bit about it, but we haven’t really managed to meet anyone. She’s just so shy. You saw just now.”

“You know, I know someone…well, three people, a little like her,” he said slowly, “And one of them, my daughter I guess, she’s pretty shy too. But I think she and Wanda would get along really well.” 

“I-really?” Steve felt almost shocked. “What’s her name?” 

“Jemma. Skye and Leo are the other two. He doesn’t regress quite as young-seven or eight, I’d say. But Jemma and Skye are probably around the same headspace as Wanda is.” 

“Are you their caregiver?” 

He nodded. “Melinda and I. Kinda the same situation you two have going on. Nothing romantic between us, but taking care of the same people. And if you want Wanda to try and meet…well, someone she can be friends with…”

“Absolutely,” Natasha said enthusiastically, “I’ll talk to her first, but I think that sounds like a great idea. Don’t you, Steve?” 

He looked unsure. “I’m just always worried that people will think she’s rude or unfriendly because she doesn’t talk when she first meets someone.” 

“I completely understand that,” Phil said, “And I promise, I’ll talk to them before they meet her.” 

Steve thought for a moment and smiled a little. “In that case, I guess it couldn’t hurt to give it a shot. She might really be excited.”

Phil stood up and shook hands with both of them. “Good. It was great to see you.” 

“You too.” Natasha smiled, “We’ll call soon.” 

 

 

Steve and Natasha broached the subject with Wanda later on that day after dinner while she was playing in her room. Steve held her in his lap while Natasha sat next to them and leaned forward. “Wanda, you know how we were talking about you maybe making some friends?” 

“Uh-huh.” She didn’t look up from the book she was looking at. “Lorna is my friend. Sam and you and Daddy.” 

“I know, baby. And we love being your friends, but I think you have so many grown ups around you and it would be nice if you had someone to really play with from time to time,” she said slowly, “And our friend who came by today said that he knows three little ones like you who you might want to meet. That sounds fun, right?”

She shrunk back. “They’re not gonna like me.”

“Of course they will. It won’t be scary, I promise. We’ll be with you. You’re just gonna meet them.”

Wanda still looked terrified, but somehow managed to give a little jerk of a nod. Natasha partly thought she was probably just making herself say yes because she thought if she said anything else she was going to get in trouble. But this would be good for her in the end, right?

“We have to go see Dr. Samson in the morning,” Steve said finally, “Come on, ladybug, let’s get you ready for bed.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm still familiarizing myself with AOS and this will probably diverge from the show's canon.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, this is ageplay guys. I beg of you. Read the tags before you read the fic.

Wanda didn’t know the girl named Jemma that Daddy had told her about, but she already knew a few really important things about her. 

_She might not like me!_

_She could be really mean._

_What if she makes fun of my accent?_

_What if she doesn’t understand me when I talk?_

_What if I can’t talk at all?_

_What if I cry?_

_She might laugh at me._

_What if I’m a bad friend?_

**_But you want a friend, don’t you?_ **

_Yes, but-_

**_What’s wrong with you?_ **

_I want a friend._

_And I also just want to hide._

She rubbed her eyes with her fists and sniffled, keeping her head down so Dr. Samson couldn’t see her. They were supposed to be drawing their feelings. Wanda didn’t think how she was feeling would look very nice on paper. The colors were all mixed up and they were just scribbles together, becoming a big, knotted mess that nobody could ever untangle.

 _‘Wanda’,_ Lorna reminded her, _‘You’re supposed to be drawing.’_

“I know,” she mumbled. 

“What’s that?” Dr. Samson looked up. Wanda did like him a lot. He had green hair-she’d never seen a doctor with green hair before. And he had posters of animals in his office. Wanda loved animals. 

“So,” he was saying, “I heard you might get to meet a new friend.” 

She nodded, patting Lorna’s head. 

“How do you feel about that?” 

Wanda wanted to burst into tears. She couldn’t even answer an easy question, and all because she just didn’t know how she felt. How could you want someone to play with so badly and at the same time, just want to be alone? 

Well, Dr. Samson seemed to know why. The last time they had visited, he had said a lot of things about stuff like social anxiety and self hatred. Wanda knew she hated herself-but she still wasn’t completely sure about the other one. Maybe. Back in Sokovia, Pietro had always said she was just shy.

What would Pietro think of Dr. Samson and his green hair and animal posters? Would he even be okay with her coming here in the first place? Would he be angry with her for crying too much? 

No, Pietro never got angry. Not at her. 

Dr. Samson seemed to figure she wasn’t going to answer and tried a different tactic. “I think, for some people, making new friends is hard sometimes.” 

Well, that was true. She nodded. 

“I think that might be because sometimes we just get very caught up in our own negative thoughts,” he explained, “And we can’t help it, or make it go away when we want. I know, it’s not a nice feeling at all.” 

Wanda nodded again. At least Dr. Samson seemed to understand how she was feeling. She turned to look at Sam, who was sitting in a chair in the corner, playing games on his phone or texting someone. Dr. Samson had asked him, and Steve and Natasha not to say anything during sessions, so he was quiet, but at least gave her an encouraging smile. 

“I-friends are hard-” she tried saying, and immediately recoiled at how it sounded-too quiet, shaky, broken, almost slurred. She felt the lump in her throat come back again. 

_What’s wrong with you? What’s wrong with you? What’s wrong? You’re doing something wrong. Fix it! Fix it!_

She couldn’t talk around strangers and if she did, it was so unintelligible it was embarrassing. Dr. Samson probably thought she was the stupidest girl in the world. And he was right. 

“Wanda. Are you okay?”

She realized just then that she was actually crying. 

_Stop it stop it stop it!_

“Hey, hey.” Dr. Samson moved so he was sitting next to her. “It’s okay, I promise. You’re safe. You don’t have to talk right now if you feel like you can’t.” He had previously suggested that she try and write things down when speaking was too hard, but Wanda could barely read and write in her native language, let alone English. 

“I think our time’s almost up anyway,” Dr. Samson said gently, “How about we end for now and try to talk more next week?”

She nodded and ran to Sam, clutching his hand tightly. He reached down and smoothed some stray hairs out of her face. He understood. Sam used to see a therapist too. 

“Let’s go, skittle.” He squeezed her hand. “Thanks, Doc.” 

He smiled kindly and nodded. “Hang in there, guys. I’ll see ya next week.” 

 

 

Steve and Natasha both asked how it went, but Wanda didn’t answer. She just ran to her room and lay on her stomach by her bed, chin in her hands as she stared at the wall. A little part of her missed Vision walking in all the time. He’d been nice. He probably hated her now.

“Wanda?” Steve opened the door slowly. “Honey, what happened?” 

She drew back fearfully, putting her hands up. He wouldn’t hurt her, right? Right? She trusted him. 

“Hey.” He knelt down, holding a hand out. “It’s just me, sweetheart. It’s just Daddy.”

Wanda blinked and glanced around her surroundings confusingly. She thought she knew where she was, but she just couldn’t be sure anymore. She was never sure. 

And even if she wasn’t sure, she ran into Steve’s arms and hid her face in his shoulder. He breathed a sigh of relief and stroked her hair. “It’s okay, angel. I’m here. Sam told me you were having a tough time, that’s all.” 

“I-I couldn’t-I _tried,”_ her voice broke, “My words weren’t right again.”

“I know, sweetie. I know. It’s okay.” 

It _wasn’t_ okay. It was stupid. 

**_Everyone else talks fine. Why can’t you?_ **

_I’m trying! I just-_

**_Try harder. And stop crying. You’re such a baby._ **

Wanda rubbed her eyes and tried her hardest not to sob. “I’m sorry, Daddy.” 

“Don’t apologize, I’m not upset with you. Not at all.” He kissed her temple. “C’mon, are you hungry? I made lunch. And…did you think anymore about wanting to meet Jemma?” 

It was all she had thought about and the thought was still terrifying. But Wanda wanted a friend so badly. 

_But what if-_

“Yes,” she blurted out. “I-I want to.” 

“Really?” He looked genuinely surprised. “That’s great, sweetie! I know you’ll like her. And maybe after awhile you could meet her brother and sister.” 

That actually made her perk up. “She has a brother?” 

“Yep. His name is Leo.” 

“Maybe….” she chewed her lip, “One day they meet my brother too.” 

Steve’s expression faltered for a moment and there was a change in his voice when he said, “Yeah, maybe. Come on now, you need to eat something.”

Wanda followed him out into the kitchen and tugged on her hair hard when she knew they weren’t looking. If they saw, they’d make her stop. She tugged again, even harder this time, gripping the strands tightly in her fist and yanking over and over-

“Oh, no you don’t, missy,” Natasha grabbed her wrist firmly but gently and pulled it away. “Wanda Maximoff, you do not hurt yourself. Not ever, do you understand me?” 

She didn’t, but nodded anyway. It was the only response she had. Wanda hugged Lorna to her chest and shut her eyes tight. 

 

 

Phil brought Jemma over the next day. Wanda was still scared. As soon as she heard the knock at the door, her mind started spinning. Every self doubt came to the surface, trying to drag her back down with them. She whimpered and wrapped her arms around herself, nails digging into her skin. She dragged her fingers down along her arms a little bit, leaving small marks that were just a bit too deep. Her heart skipped a beat as she remembered Natasha’s words earlier-what if she hit her when she saw that she had hurt herself? Wanda jumped up and grabbed a soft pink sweater out of the closet that matched her dress to cover her arms. That would hide it for awhile. 

“Hey, honey,” Sam poked his head through the doorway. “You want to come say hi?”

She nodded silently and got up, smoothing her dress even though it didn’t have any wrinkles. Did that count as one of her “nervous habits?” 

Jemma was standing by the front door next to Phil. She had a smile on her face, hair in a ponytail, jeans, a shirt with little flowers all over it, and she was carrying a pink bag with a picture of Aurora on it. Wanda suddenly felt self conscious about her whole appearance-because Jemma was _beautiful._

“This is my Wanda,” Natasha said. There was a hint of pride in her voice. “Can you say hi, sweetie?” 

The best she could muster was a wave and a shy smile. The other girl stepped forward and took her hand. “My name is Jemma. It’s okay if you can’t speak. My mummy explained it to me. I like your dress.” She had an accent too. 

Wanda made the sign for “thank you” that Clint had taught her. Sam translated. 

“Oh, do you speak sign language?” Jemma looked interested, “That’s very neat!”

“She’s not fluent. We have a friend who’s deaf and he taught her a few things,” Natasha explained, “Wanda, do you want to show Jemma your room?” 

She nodded and gently pulled her along down the hall to where she slept. Jemma gasped as soon as she walked in. “Oh, it’s nice! You have it all to yourself? I share with my brother and sister.” 

A _brother_. The thing Wanda wished for more than anything in the world. She smiled and nodded.  

“Do you have brothers or sisters?” Jemma asked. 

She nodded again and held up one finger. 

“Oh, that’s nice! Are they older or younger?”

This time she shook her head and Jemma looked confused for a moment. “They aren’t older or younger? Then how old…oh! Are you twins? How nice! Where are they?” 

Wanda wasn’t sure. Everyone told her Pietro had to go somewhere he couldn’t come back from, but she knew he’d come back. It was just taking awhile. 

Jemma noticed the look on her face and decided to change the subject. “I wasn’t sure what you like to do…but I brought some things to make bracelets with, if you want.” 

Wanda was just relieved the girl could initiate some activity. She nodded and smiled again, heart lifting when she saw Jemma grin. “Great! Do you like jewelry? Wow, your ears are pierced _twice._ Does that feel weird?” 

She shook her head and gently examined the beads Jemma set in her hand. They were purple and plastic, but sparkled somehow. 

“You just put them on the string in whatever order you want, and then you tie off the ends,” Jemma explained, “Do you know how to tie a knot?” 

Thankfully, she did. Wanda listened to Jemma talk as she strung the beads together, hanging onto her every word. The girl had a soothing kind of voice, and the nicest stories-she talked about her brother and sister (Leo and Skye were their names) her mom who she called “Mummy,” and Phil, her dad. About all the fun things they did together, and how much she loved being part of a family.

“We watched a movie yesterday,” Jemma said, “It was called Big Hero 6. Have you seen it?” 

Wanda had heard of it, but Steve wouldn’t let her watch it. She shook her head. 

“Oh, well maybe we could watch it together sometime,” she suggested, “Are you allowed to watch movies? Have you seen Frozen?” 

She smiled and nodded, waving her hand in the air like Elsa. Sam had made it clear that he would die a happy man if he never had to hear Let it Go again, but Wanda adored the film. 

“I love it!” Jemma gushed, “Skye and me were Elsa and Anna for Halloween. It was fun-well, Daddy wouldn’t stop making us take pictures, but other than that it was fun. He takes pictures of everything since Mummy got him a camera for Christmas. Do you have Christmas?” 

She shook her head. 

“Oh…” she thought for a moment. “Hanukkah? That sounds really nice.”

It was, but it wasn’t the same without Pietro. Thor’s friend Jane and her girlfriend Darcy had celebrated it with her this past year, but Wanda’s heart had ached for her brother the whole time. 

“I’d like to meet your twin sometime,” Jemma said conversationally, “Your mummy and daddy seem really nice. I can’t believe that they’re _really_ Captain America and Black Widow! They’re nice, aren’t they?” 

Of course they were. Which was why Wanda still felt guilty for being scared that they were going to beat her or make her go back to General Ross.  

“Hey, that looks nice!” Jemma smiled. “Good job!” 

Wanda smiled and held it out out to her, but Jemma shook her head. “You keep it, alright? Or give it to your mum or dad! That’s what I do.” 

Wanda thought for a moment, then realized that maybe Scott would like it. He was her babysitter.  

Jemma talked for a little while longer while they colored, and a few times, she seemed to hedge towards getting her companion to talk. After about an hour, Wanda finally managed to stutter out, “Th-thanks for playing.” 

Jemma’s eyes lit up. “You’re welcome!”

She didn’t make fun of her accent and she seemed to understand-at least the thank you part. Wanda breathed a sigh of relief. 

“Jemma,” Phil walked in with Steve at his side. “Time to go. Did you have fun?”

“Yes!” She grinned widely and hugged him. “We made bracelets and colored and I told about Halloween.” 

“Sounds like a blast.” He tugged playfully on her ponytail. “Better head out. I think your mommy ordered pizza for dinner. Bye, Steve.” 

“Thank you so much, Phil.” He shook his hand. “Nat and Sam and I really appreciate it. And with Ross…”

“I’ll look into it,” he said quietly, “Have you spoken to Stark?” 

“Not yet. Hopefully soon.” 

“Oh, Wanda!” Jemma ran back to her. “Is it alright if I hug you?” 

She blushed and nodded, looking down at her feet as Jemma wrapped her arms gently around her. “I had lots and lots of fun with you! Can we play again?” 

“Uh-huh,” she nodded emphatically, “Yes, yes.” 

“I’m so glad! I’ll see you soon!” She waved as she took Phil’s hand, “Bye, sir.” 

“Call me Steve, Jemma,” he laughed, “Thanks for coming over.” 

As soon as they were gone, Steve picked Wanda up and set her in his lap. “Hey, ladybug. Was that okay?”

She nodded. “Jemma’s so nice. And pretty. Daddy, she has a _brother._ ” 

“I know, baby. That’s really cool, huh?”

“We play again?”

“If you want. I know this was a big step for you and I’m really proud of you.” He kissed her forehead. “Let’s go eat, yeah? And we can watch a movie afterwards.” 

She nodded and snuggled closer to him. “Can I suck my thumb?” 

“Only if you promise not to bite.” He picked her up, running a hand up and down her back. “Oh, my beautiful girl. I love you so much.” 

“Love you too,” her voice was muffled as she hid her face in his shirt. “I love you, Daddy.” 

 


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah this chapter is shit but are we even surprised at that anymore?

_B-ang. Bang bang bang._

They were in trouble. There were bombs in the city now and they were close. Wanda felt like maybe she’d been dreaming it but now she was wide awake, sobbing hysterically and stumbling out of bed because if she didn’t get her brother up, they were going to die. They were going to be crushed, just like their parents. 

“Pietro! Hurry!” 

Nothing. Wanda ran back to the bed and shook him hard. “Hurry, hurry! We have to run!”

His voice sounded different. “Wanda? Baby, what are you doing?”

“Pietro, _please!”_ She was almost yelling, “You can’t die! You have to come with! The bombs are here again!”

“Sweetheart, I’m not-.” 

“Come on!” She tugged on his hand, pulling him along, “You can’t die too!”

“Wanda, Wanda look at me. I’m not Pietro. You aren’t in Sokovia-you’re in the United States. There are no bombs, baby. It’s just thunder.” 

“No, no!” Why didn’t he understand? Pietro was usually the one directing her, making sure that everything was okay. He knew that it wasn’t safe! Wanda tugged on his hand, which yes, felt a little different, and sobbed, “We’re gonna die! L-Like Mama and-we gotta run!”

“Wanda, listen.” The voice was louder now, firmer. “You’re safe. There are no bombs. We’re okay, I promise. Oh, Jesus Christ. Can one of you turn the lights on?” 

The hallway was suddenly illuminated and Wanda looked around confusedly, tears still streaming down her face. This was way too nice-they lived in a shack. Didn’t they? Where was her brother? 

Not there. 

Of course he wasn’t. He hadn’t been with her for a long time. She was in America. 

“Wanda?” Steve whispered, “Can you look at me?” 

“I-I don’t know!” She grabbed fistfuls of her hair, backing up into the wall. She could feel vomit rising in her throat, like she was going to be sick at any minute. Her whole body ached and was shaking uncontrollably. “I c-can’t-I can’t breathe. I can’t breathe, Daddy.” 

Well, she could breathe enough to stutter that out. But Wanda felt like her oxygen was starting to be cut off. 

“Shit, shit, shit,” Steve sounded panicked, “Fuck! She’s hyperventilating. Sam, what do I do, what do I-”

“Calm down.” Sam knelt in front of Wanda and took her hands. “Hey, kid. Look at me. Look at me, sweetheart. You’re okay. You’re safe. Everyone’s okay.” 

“M-m-my b-rother,..”

“Shhh. Don’t think about that. Trust me, I know this is hard. I go through it too. But right now I need you to take deep breaths with me. Hold it for ten seconds, then let it out. Can you do that? I’ll try it with you, okay? Ten seconds. One, two, three…” 

It took a few tries, but after a couple minutes, Wanda’s breathing was evened out a bit. She was still crying though, and slumped to the floor in a little heap. Natasha knelt down and gathered here up in her arms. “Shhh, shhh. Mommy’s got you, малышка. I’m here now, I’ve got you. Shhh, don’t cry. Oh, honey.” She pressed her lips to the girl’s dark hair, closing her eyes. “I’m so sorry.” 

Steve’s expression had crumbled and now he just looked slightly ill. Sam put a hand on his shoulder and whispered to Nat, “Can you handle it on your own?” 

“Yeah. You two go back to sleep.” She stood up, supporting Wanda with one arm. “You’re gonna sleep with me tonight, baby. Come on.” 

“I-I’m sorry, Mommy!” She pulled away a little bit, “Don’t be mad!”

“I’m not mad, honey. I’m worried about you. Are you wet?” 

She was and it just made the situation worse. Wanda shook her head no,but Natasha sighed. She always knew. “I won’t get mad at you for having an accident, sweetie, I promise. Please don’t cry, it’s okay.”

Wanda jumped back as the thunder outside started to roll again. Natasha hugged her protectively against her chest and pressed a few kisses to her hair and face. “Come on, I’ll give you a shower real quick.” 

Wanda shook her head. “No, no. I don’t want to…” she trailed off as her voice broke. She just didn’t think she could let go of Natasha right now. 

“I’ll be there the whole time, honey. I’ll be right with you, I promise. I know you’re scared, and I’m so, so sorry. You were just dreaming, it wasn’t real. Mommy’s here now.”

“I’m _scared.”_

“I know, baby girl,” she said soothingly, trying to keep her distracted while she helped her get undressed, “Everything’s alright. I won’t let anything hurt you. Nothing can get to you here.”

Nothing except the endless nightmares, flashbacks and panic attacks. Nothing but fear and shame and terror that could be triggered by anything. 

Absolutely nothing. 

Wanda curled up on the floor as the water from the shower splashed over her. She was shaking, one hand clutching Natasha’s arm tightly. “Mommy, I want Pietro. I want my brother.” 

“I know, baby. I know you want your brother.” She felt a lump in her throat as she said it. Why, fucking why, could the girl not understand that he was never going to come back? She’d heard it before. They’d sat her down and tried to explain that he was dead, the same way her parents were dead. 

She just never seemed to comprehend it. No matter how much they tried to explain it and remind her, she would always come out with, “When Pietro comes back…” or, “I can’t wait to tell my brother.” And it was pretty fucking heartbreaking, Natasha couldn’t deny that. 

She helped her up and dried her off gently, tipping her chin up so their eyes met. Wanda blinked as her lower lip quivered.

“Shhh, honey,” Natasha murmured, wiping a few tears away with her thumb, “It’s all gone now. All gone.” 

 _“Mommy.”_ She sounded desperate, almost panicked. Wanda wrapped her arms around her mother tightly and cried into her chest. “Don’t go, Mommy! Don’t go!”

“Mommy’s not gonna go anywhere, sweetie. I’m going to stay right here. Shhh, shhh. Let’s get you to bed.” She doubted Wanda would fall asleep easily, but getting her in bed and relaxed would be good at least. “Do you want me to help you get dressed?” 

Wanda usually insisted that she could do it herself (and even though she usually ended up needing help anyway, Steve and Natasha let her try), but right now, she just nodded. Natasha kissed her cheek. “Good girl.” 

That seemed to relax her a little more. Wanda went on and on about what a bad girl she was constantly, and she seemed almost surprised to hear the opposite. After she was dressed, she climbed up in bed next to Natasha, snuggling under her arms. “I love you, Mommy.” 

“I love you too, малышка,” she whispered, “Sweet dreams.” 

 

Wanda woke up before Natasha, but stayed in bed with her quietly until she woke up. It was drizzling outside, but the thunder was gone. 

“Good morning, pretty girl,” Natasha whispered, kissing her forehead, “How are you feeling?” 

She shrugged, sucking on her thumb absentmindedly. She wasn’t biting, so Natasha stayed silent about it. “You wanna get dressed?” 

She nodded, sitting up straight now. “I help you?” 

“You want to help me get ready?” Natasha laughed, “Sure, baby, you can do that. Come on, hold my hand…that’s it. Good job. Go find what you want to wear.” 

Wanda shook her head and tugged on Natasha’s hand. She figured the kid was just being super clingy after what had happened last night, so she complied and let her lead her to her room, where she grabbed a fluffy sea green dress with multicolored bows and hearts all over it out of her closet. Natasha wouldn’t be caught dead in anything anywhere near that, but if it really made her little girl happy, she wouldn’t say anything about it. 

“That one? Okay, c’mere.” She unbuttoned her nightgown and slipped it past her shoulders, “You okay?” 

Wanda nodded, staring straight ahead. She was rocking back and forth on her heels slightly. “I love you, Mommy.” 

“Oh, thank you, sweetheart. I love you too,” she said conversationally, “Very much, actually. I’m so glad I have such a nice daughter.” 

“I am nice?” 

“Of course you are. You’re very sweet.” Natasha finished dressing her and kissed her forehead. “You look so beautiful, honey. Now go find Daddy and jump on him.” 

She giggled a little bit and took Natasha’s hand again. Steve was standing in the small living room they had with Sam, alternating between talking on the phone and with the other man. He hung up a few moments after they walked in, sent a quick text, and exchanged looks with Natasha. “That was Tony.” 

“About R-O-S-S?”

“Yep. He’s pissed. But at least we’re talking.”

“Yeah, nothing quite brings people together like a mutual hatred of that man.”

Wanda ran to Steve and tugged on his arm, “Up, Daddy, up.” 

Almost immediately, Natasha saw him start to look guilty, and she knew why. He usually handled panic attacks well, but last night, he had panicked himself. Of course, Wanda had never insisted on the fact that he was her brother either, so it was kind of understandable. Still, as he lifted her up into his arms, he whispered, “Honey, I am so sorry.” 

“Why?” She looked confused. 

“For…freaking out last night. I shouldn’t have. I know you were scared and my job is to help you. I didn’t do that very well.” 

Wanda looked horrified at the thought that Steve seemed to think he had done anything less than extraordinary. “No, Daddy! I love you! Don’t be sad.” 

“I just…” he sighed, “Well, thanks, sweetheart. Are you feeling okay?” 

She nodded, leaning into his arms with her head on his shoulder. Steve rubbed her back soothingly. “Phil called. Would you want to meet Jemma’s siblings tomorrow?” 

“Really?” That did sound fun. Jemma had a brother, which was the best thing ever, and her sister sounded really, really fun. “I want to.” 

“I’ll let him know,” he smiled, “I’m so glad you’ve got someone to play with now. Listen, I actually might have to call Scott today-”

“Why?” She clung to him a little tighter. Wanda loved Scott, but she just wanted to be around her family right now.

“Well, we might have to go…uh, meet with some people and we didn’t know if it’d be a good idea for you to be there,” he said carefully, “It won’t be for too long, I promise.” 

“Can’t I go with you? I’ll be good!”

“I know, honey. But there’s other reasons you shouldn’t come with, and I just really can’t compromise on it,” he sighed, “It’ll be okay, I promise.”

“When’s he coming?” Natasha asked. 

“I just texted him. Should be on his way. Thank God he’s in the area, I have no other options for babysitters.”

“Well, there’s Peter. Parker, I mean. And Vision.” 

“Yeah, I’d have to get to know him better first. Vision is a no. Come on, baby,” he set Wanda on the floor and leaned down to pat her hair as she whimpered and clutched at his leg. “Daddy’s right here. It’s okay.” 

Sam had been uncharacteristically quiet for the conversation, but now sat down next to Wanda and put an arm around her. “You doing good, skittle? The thunder kinda threw me for a loop too.” 

She nodded and eyes closing, curled up in his lap, sighing softly as he rocked her. Lorna was in her lap again. She imagined that she was purring. Sam’s arms wrapped around her, and almost immediately, she felt safe. 

“It’s okay, hon,” he whispered, “It’s all gonna be okay.” 

Wanda stayed with Sam and ate breakfast while they watched the morning news. There was some story about a man who had found his cat that had been missing for almost a year. Then they were talking about a missing girl. She had just disappeared without a trace. Her parents were crying onscreen, begging for information. She was eighteen. Dark hair. She was pretty. 

“Wanda!” Sam shook her slightly, “Hey, hey. Look at me. You shouldn’t be watching that anyways.” 

She noticed that her eyes had been glued to the screen and her hands were gripping the fabric of her dress so tightly that her knuckles had turned white. 

What was on TV again? Something about a girl who wasn’t there anymore. 

A knock at the door caused her to look over her shoulder. Scott walked in and shook hands with Natasha before shooting her a friendly smile. “Hey, kid! What’s up?” 

She shrugged and ran to hug him. Even if she didn’t want Mommy and Daddy to go, Scott was still really fun. “Missed you.”

“Hey, I missed you too. Hope says hi.” He grinned, “Cool dress. Is that like a princess thing?”

She laughed, “No, it’s just a normal one.” 

“Oooh, gotcha. Well, you still look super awesome, just so you know. We gonna spend some time together?”

“I-I guess.” She looked at Steve nervously. “I don’t want you to leave.” 

“It’s just for a bit, honey.” He was edging his way out the door with Sam right next to him. “I’ll see you soon. I love you.” 

Natasha blew her a kiss and then they were gone. Wanda stayed silent for a solid minute before bursting into tears. 

“Aw, sweetheart.” Scott sighed, hugging her close, “It’s okay, they’ll be back soon.”

What if they weren’t? What if something awful happened? What if they got hurt or worse? What if they decided she was bad and didn’t want to be a family anymore? What if they just left and found someone new? 

“Shhh, calm down,” he soothed, “How about we watch a show or something for a little while?” 

Wanda didn’t answer. She started clawing at her arms again and whimpered as Scott firmly took hold of her wrists and put her in his lap on the couch. She felt a little safer cuddled up with him, but she couldn’t stop herself from continuously looking back at the door either. 

“What have you been up to lately?” Scott asked kindly. 

Wanda shrugged, then looked up, remembering the most important thing that had happened.

“Guess what? I have a friend now.”


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sure there's a ton of typos here but dammit, I'm tired and just wanted to get this up. I hope it's somewhat enjoyable.   
> Reviews make me happy! (and when I'm happy I bake lots of virtual internet cookies).

It was nice to be on the same side as Tony for once, especially after everything that had happened. He and Steve still hadn’t actually talked out what had happened, but they were at least able to put it aside long enough to try and kick General Ross’s ass with legalities. Steve knew his type-he’d seen it years before in the army. Asshole with an authority complex who cared less about the good of the people and more about making sure everyone knew how incredibly important he was. 

Of course, he was pissed that Steve had broken out the others, but it had been months since that whole incident had happened, and Tony was doing what he could to make sure none of them got thrown in prison again. Technically, they had been in accordance with the Accords since they left, not using their abilities anywhere in the world, but still. They’d broken out of prison. One of the only reasons Ross hadn’t thrown them back in was because Tony had threatened to go public with it, and that meant that the government would have to admit they had a secret floating raft in the middle of the ocean that was specifically for housing people they knew they couldn’t control. 

That was partly what this meeting at the state capitol was about. It also had to do with a very pissed off Steve demanding to know what the hell had happened there.   
“Captain,” Ross said as soon as he saw the other man open his mouth, “You’re in no position to be making demands-“

“Cut it,” he said coldly, “I want to know what happened.” 

Ross met Tony’s eyes, who only returned his gaze with a shrug. “Hey, I’m just as curious as he is. So go on. What happened?” 

“I didn’t bother with…specifics….” 

“Oh, okay.” Steve’s voice wasn’t even shaking, but it was full of ice and rage. “So when I showed up and found a young girl naked and tortured with a straitjacket and a shock collar on, that wasn’t you? Good to fucking know. Who did it?” 

“I don’t have the time to go through all the guard shifts and see who was assigned to her. Quite frankly, I’m sure she’s fine.”

Steve had to keep himself from socking the guy in his pompous face. Sam spoke instead. “Whoever beat her up and raped her violated the Geneva Conventions, General. In case you didn’t know-”

“I’m well aware of what the Geneva Conventions are, Mr. Wilson,” he said icily, “I wasn’t under the impression that they applied to freaks of nature who shoot magic laserbeams out of their  hands.”

“There’s nothing in them that says they don’t.” 

“I’m not going to launch any kind of investigation into this, if that’s what you’re asking.” 

“Then let me ask you again. I was _there_.” Sam stepped forward. “You must have a database showing the guards, right? I remember the one who took her out of the cell, presumably under your orders. I’d recognize him. So would Scott Lang and Clint Barton.” 

“My answer remains no. I’m afraid it’s a little too late for any of you to prove anything happened to her either, so it’s on the word of a twenty year old who acts like she’s five. Best of luck proving anything with that.” 

Natasha stood up, eyes flashing. “I’d _really_ love to see you say that to her face. She wakes up screaming and crying, she won’t eat, there are days she can’t talk-”

“I’m afraid that’s your problem.” 

“It’s your fault.” She was inches away from him now. “Own up to it, Ross. And even if you don’t, that’s not going to stop me from dragging your sorry ass through the mud until everyone knows _exactly_ what kind of person you are.” 

He flinched slightly. “I’m sure most people would find your love for that girl touching, Miss Romanov. But I don’t care, and I’m not afraid of you.” 

Natasha’s face remained unchanging, stoic. All that moved were her hands, one curling into a fist, and her lips, whispering, “You will be.” 

Steve inched away and moved closer to Tony. saying in a low voice, “Natasha could’ve done this alone.”

“Yeah,” he quietly. “Well. Ross is an asshole. We’ve always known that.” 

“Yeah,” he nodded slightly, “Uh…how’s Rhodey?” 

“Good. The technology for his spine’s working well.” 

“That’s awesome.” He paused, “And Vision?” 

Tony gave him a slightly worried look. “He misses Wanda and says hi. And that he’d like to see her sometime.” 

“Oh.” Steve wasn’t really sure what to say about that. Would she want to see him again? 

Natasha slammed her palm down on the cherrywood table, Ross jumped back, and they knew it was time to leave.

————————————

Wanda quite literally clung to Scott the whole time he was there. Usually she wanted to run around and play with him-he was good at hide and seek and tag. But right now, all she wanted to do was be held. 

Scott didn’t mind at all, but he did seem a little bit concerned. He snuggled her on his lap while she kept her face hidden in his shoulder, with one hand gripping a small fistful of the fabric on his shirt and the other with her thumb in her mouth. He didn’t say anything until he realized she was biting herself again. 

“No, no,” he gently took the hand by her mouth and put it to her side. “We don’t hurt ourselves, remember?” 

Her eyes welled up with tears. “But-I had to…I didn’t mean to-”

“I know, sweetness. I know you’re trying.” He really could tell that she was trying so damn hard through all the tears and anxiety and pain. She wanted to be “good”. 

“Tell me more about your new friend,” he suggested, “Jemma, right?” 

Wanda nodded. “She’s got a sister. And a brother. _A brother!”_

“Whoa, two of them? That’s really cool!” He smiled, “Are you going to play again soon?” 

“Mommy said maybe tomorrow,” she shrugged, “But Scott, I didn’t talk again.” 

Well, that didn’t surprise him in the least. Did she talk in front of anyone she didn’t know well? Scott remembered the first time he had met Wanda when Clint picked him up in that van. She hadn’t spoken to him either, just sucked her thumb and stared at him with wide green eyes like he was some freak of nature. She had been pretty quiet that whole trip save for one leg where they’d all been stressed out-Clint had been sick of driving while she was sobbing hysterically from being overwhelmed and missing her mommy and daddy. Clint had finally pulled over and rocked her to sleep after a little while until he drifted off himself. Scott drove some of the way after that. And when she woke up, Wanda started to talk just a little bit. At this point she had gotten comfortable speaking full sentences around him when she was able to. 

He couldn’t really blame her for being nervous around other people after everything that had happened at the raft. He still felt a little sick hearing her screams when they took her out of the cell to do what they had done to her. Treated her like a fucking animal. They had known she was regressed. They knew that she was essentially a _baby_ at that point and they still-

“Scott,” Wanda tugged on his hand, “Lorna wants scratches.”

“Oh.” He looked down at the little stuffed kitten sitting in her lap and reached down to scratch behind its ears. “There you go, Lorna. Good kitty. Do you want a snack, Wanda?” 

She didn’t say yes or no, so Scott assumed she just wasn’t in a good space to make any kind of decision. He picked her up and took her into the kitchen. “Drink some water, okay? And eat something. I can help you if you can’t do it by yourself.”

“I can.” Her voice was almost nervous, like she really didn’t know if she could. Scott handed her a napkin with a few animal crackers on it and kissed her forehead. “No shame in needing help, kid. So, Jemma has a brother and a sister, huh?”

She nodded. “And I got a brother and his name is Pietro. I love him.”

Scott stiffened a little. “I’ve uh…..heard Steve talk about him a little.” 

“He comes back soon,” she said, sounding very assured of the fact, “My brother comes back.”

Scott didn’t really have the heart to tell her yet again that Pietro was dead for good. It was a talk that her therapist needed to have with her, since no amount of reminding her seemed to do any good. 

“I want him,” Wanda said suddenly, looking worried. She slid off the counter and looked around, “I want my brother.” 

Scott took her hand. “I don’t think you can see him right now, honey. He’s not here, remember?” 

Her lower lip trembled. “B-but I need him!”

He took a deep breath and prayed that this didn’t get out of hand. “Honey, I’m sorry, but that can’t happen. Don’t cry, it’s okay.”

“But he doesn’t know!” Wanda started to cry, “I gotta tell him I love him! I forgot to!”

“He knows- _knew_ , you love him, sweetheart. He loved you too, very very much. You were his whole world.” Scott hadn’t actually met the guy, but this was pretty much what Steve had told him. “Deep breaths for me, okay?” 

Wanda shook her head and grabbed fistfuls of her hair so tight that Scott actually thought she was going to pull a few strands out. He grabbed both her wrists and as gently as he could, held them in his own while he wrapped his arms around her. “Wanda, listen to me, hon. I need you to try and calm down. I know you miss your brother, but you can’t see him right now. You can think about him though, okay? And you can miss him as much as you want.” 

She didn’t really seem to grasp any of what he was saying other than thing about not being able to see her brother. Scott smoothed her hair back and wiped her face off gently. “Deep breaths.” 

Wanda leaned into his touch, quivering. She smelled very faintly of strawberries, Scott noted, as he wrapped his arms around her. Strawberries and soap, and she looked like a mess curled around him tight in a mess of light blue ruffles and tears. Scott rocked her just a little bit and whispered into her ear that Mom and Dad would be back soon. 

“Soon?”

“That’s right, honey.” 

Wanda refused to let go of him after that, so Scott ended up just sitting spread eagle on the linoleum kitchen floor with her sitting in between his legs. She leaned forward on occasion, thumb in her mouth and back arched, until her chin almost reached the floor. Then she would tense up and curl back up into him again, whispering, “Don’t go.” 

“I’m not going,” he reassured her. “I’m right here.” 

Wanda turned around so she was facing him, studying his face carefully. “Play?” 

“Sure, sweetie.” It was a relief, really, that she wanted to play. “What game?” 

She considered it carefully and eventually decided on “Animals,” which really just consisted of seeing who could name more species. Scott started by using dog. 

“Cat.”

“Giraffe.” 

“Koala.” 

It went on like that for awhile. Wanda usually won at that game in particular, but this time she eventually just giggled and said that she couldn’t think of any more. Scott took that opportunity to try and feed her again, this time succeeding in her allowing him to feed her a few cubes of cheese and some grapes. Scott knew that most days, Wanda insisted she could feed herself-and some days, she could. But today was not one of those days. Today was one of the day where she was going to cry and cling and not want to do anything but be held. Which, he told himself, was pretty normal for a toddler.

Wanda started to fall asleep after a little bit, right around the time she usually took naps. It was also around the same time that Natasha walked in the door. 

“Hey,” Scott greeted her genially, ‘How’d it go?”

She shook her head, lips pressed together in a fine line before letting them curve up into the ghost of a smile right before going back to a frown. And that’s how Scott knew that she was pissed.

“I’ll tell you later,” Natasha said, “How are _you?”_

“She missed you.” 

Wanda ran over to Natasha and hugged her around her legs. “Mommy, Mommy.” 

“Oh, sweetheart,” she knelt down to hug her, “Mommy’s here now. Did you have fun?” 

Wanda nodded, because even with her separation anxiety, Scott _was_ a lot of fun. She looked up at him through watery eyes and whispered. “Thank you.” 

“You’re welcome, honey. I’m glad we got to hang out.” His hand on her shoulder was heavy, yet comforting. “I’ll see you soon, okay?” 

Wanda blew him a kiss and hoped that it was enough. Lorna blew a kiss too, but nobody else knew it.

Steve and Sam walked in the door right as Scott was leaving and stopped to talk to them, so Wanda could really let herself breathe. They were all okay. They came back, and they didn’t look very happy, but they were _there._ Natasha leaned down and helped Wanda stand on shaky feet. “You’re my snuggly little one today, huh, baby? Do you want to lie down with Mommy for a little while?” 

She nodded. She didn’t want to, she _needed_ to, she was going to explode if she couldn’t be close to Natasha or Steve or Sam. Touch was like a relief. 

In Wanda’s room, Natasha wrapped the smaller girl up in her arms, holding her against her chest. Wanda burrowed into her warmth, her comfort, and took a deep breath. 

“Beautiful girl,” Natasha cooed, “I love you _so_ much, malyshka.” 

“I love you, Mommy.” She was sucking her thumb again and her words were slurred a little bit. “I love you. Where’d you go?” 

“Ah, nothing. Boring meeting with a real jerk. You’re so lucky that you got to skip out.” 

“Was he mean to _you?”_ She asked anxiously.

“Are you kidding?” She tickled her a little bit, “He’s too scared of me! Nobody messes with your mommy, remember?” 

Wanda giggled, feeling a little bit lighter. “I remember! You’re brave!”

“And so are _you,”_ she tapped her nose, “You’ve dealt with so much. People shouldn’t have to…” she trailed off for a moment, looking uncertain, “People shouldn’t have to go through what you did, baby. Do you know that? You deserved much better.” 

Wanda half nodded, but inside, she was screaming. _I did deserve it. I’m stupid, I cry too much, I’m a bad girl, I’m a bad, bad girl and I ruin everything. I cry too much. Did I say that? I really do. Didn’t I deserve everything I got?_

Natasha was whispering again. “You want to see Jemma again tomorrow?” 

“Can I?” That was exciting, “And her-”

“And her brother,” she laughed, “And sister too. Why are you so excited about the prospect of siblings?” 

Wanda didn’t answer. She was just glad that there was a brother, Jemma’s brother, and a sister, and she got to meet both of them. And maybe they wouldn’t hate her too. 

“Hey,” Natasha whispered, “You know who’s coming soon? Clint.” 

She gasped, “Really?”  
“Yeah! I talked to him on the phone while we were driving back. He says to give you lots of hugs from him and he’s excited to see you.” 

Wanda was excited to see him too. She let her eyes close and forced herself to think about it. To think about Clint, and new friends and brothers and sisters, things that would make the nightmares go away.


	9. Chapter 9

Jemma came over the next day, this time with Skye and Leo in tow. Almost as soon as she walked through the door, she grabbed Wanda’s hand excitedly and said, “Do you want to meet my brother and my sister? They really want to see you!”

“Careful, Jemma,” Phil put a gentle hand on her shoulder, “Don’t scare her.” 

“Oh, sorry,” she stilled, “Wanda, this is Leo and Skye.”

Wanda stepped forward shyly, tilting her head down so her pigtails fell in front of her face. Skye and Leo both looked nice, almost exactly as she’d imagined them, with smiles and the same sort of kindness that Jemma brought. Skye ran forward and said brightly, “I like your dress! And your hair! Did your mom do it?” 

She shook her head. “My daddy.” Steve did her hair every morning. “I like your dress too.”

“Thanks!” Skye smoothed it proudly, “I got it for my birthday! I also got a doll and I named her Lucy. Do you have a doll? When’s your birthday?” 

“ _Skye,”_ Leo cut in impatiently, “Stop jabbering. You’re gonna make her think we’re too noisy.” 

She stuck her tongue out. “I’m not jabbering. You’re bossy.”

Phil rolled his eyes. “Don’t get into it, you two. Go on and play, and be good.”

“We will!” Skye called behind her shoulder as Wanda took them to her room. “Whoa, this is so cool! Do you like to have your own room?” 

She shook her head. Pietro had always shared a room with her and she preferred it that way. 

“Do you talk?” Skye asked curiously, “Leo doesn’t sometimes.” 

He looked a bit insulted, “I do talk, I’m just not good at it sometimes. It’s okay if you don’t talk, Wanda, we don’t mind.” 

She smiled gratefully and made the sign for “thank you,” which Skye immediately noticed. Apparently she knew a little sign language too, and that made things easier. 

“You can write some stuff down too,” she suggested. 

Jemma shook her head and whispered to her, “She doesn’t know how. Don’t make fun, okay?” 

Skye looked insulted, “I’d never do that. It’s okay, everyone has to learn some stuff. And you could learn to write, trust me. It’s real easy. And if anyone makes fun of you, tell me and I’ll kick them.” 

Wanda laughed softly and signed, “thank you,” again. It didn’t matter that Skye was a little noisier, she was nice. Of course she was-it made sense that Jemma’s siblings would be just as wonderful as she was. Leo moved a little closer and asked, “Jemma, do you have your notebook?”

She nodded and reached into the same purse she’d brought with her last time. The notebook in question had a picture of Hello Kitty on the front with a blue crayon stuck through the spiral loops at the top that kept the sheets of paper together. Most of them were covered with scribbles, but Leo eventually found a blank page. “Okay, I’m gonna teach you how to write your name. It’ll be like school, only pretend. Do you know the letters in it?” 

Wanda shook her head no. 

“That’s okay. Your name is Wanda, so the first letter is W. Like waterfall,” he explained as he wrote it down, “And it looks like this. Now you try. Here, I’ll hold your hand and help you.” 

It was good that he held it because Wanda’s hand shook as she dragged the crayon across the paper. The end result was something that looked vaguely like what Leo had put down, but far shakier and obviously with less skill. Skye pointed to the spot next to it. “Now you put the next letter. A. Jemma’s got an A in her name too, but it’s at the end. You can do it.” 

Wanda struggled through the next few letters all the way to the final A, when she finally put the crayon down. She felt her cheeks grow pink at how messy it looked, but Jemma just looked proud. “You did it! See how good it looks? I bet mine didn’t look that good when I first tried. Here,” she tore the page out and handed it to her, “You keep it and the next time you try, just think of how good you did the first time.” 

Wanda looked down at the paper in her hands. Pietro would have been so proud of her. He could barely read, but he always wanted her to be able to. “You’re smarter,” he would say, “And one day I’ll make sure you get to learn.” 

Well, now she was learning, but he wasn’t there. She bit her lip for a moment, but then smiled gratefully at Leo. She wanted nothing more than to say ‘thank you’, but somehow, she knew he understood as he patted her hand. “Good job. You’re a smart girl.” 

_I am? I am?_

“One day you’ll get to write whatever you want,” he said, “I promise.”

Wanda hoped he was right. Leo seemed like he knew a lot. 

———————————-

Jemma and her siblings stayed for another hour. They spend most of the time playing hide and seek, then watching _The Little Mermaid._ Skye was asleep on Wanda’s shoulder by the time they had to leave, so Phil picked her up instead. “Time to go, guys. Say goodbye.”

“Bye!” Jemma hugged Wanda tightly, “I had lots of fun!”

Even if she couldn’t say it, Wanda hoped that Jemma knew she’d had the time of her life. When Leo hugged her too, she felt her eyes fill with tears.

“It’s okay,” he whispered to her, “I know it’s hard. You did a good job.”

Jemma had a brother, a _brother,_ and he was hugging her and saying she’d done a good job. Wanda thought her heart might explode from happiness. A _brother_. 

She felt saddened when he pulled away and they really had to leave. Steve leaned down and kissed the top of her head. “Did you have fun?”

She nodded and pulled the little paper out of her pocket to show him. “Look, Daddy.” 

He stared at it in shock. “Is that…did you write that?” 

“Leo helped. And he held my hand on the first one,” she looked up at him hopefully, “Are you happy?” 

“Are you kidding? I am so, so proud of you!” Steve pulled her into a hug, “That’s amazing, ladybug! Clint’s going to be so excited, you know that?”

She giggled, “Really?” 

He nodded and scooped her up in his arms. “You’re my smart, precious girl. I love you so much.”

She wrapped her arms around his neck in a hug. “I love you more, Daddy.” 

“That’s impossible. You’re way cuter than me, so I’ve gotta love you more,” he joked, “Do you want to finish your movie?” 

“Want hugs.” She held a little tighter. 

“That’s fine, baby. Daddy can give you as many hugs as you need,” he said soothingly.

“And kisses?” 

He pressed his lips to her cheek for a moment. “And kisses. How about we have some quiet time for awhile? I know you had fun, but people can get overwhelming for you.” 

He was right, Wanda could already feel herself getting more stressed out by the minute-and when she was stressed out she cried, she pulled her hair and hurt herself. Being nestled in Steve’s arms while he sat in a chair in the corning of the living room, rocking her just a little helped slow her heart to a steadier pace. Wanda sucked on her thumb and closed her eyes as he started to hum softly, the same song that always relaxed her. Most of the songs Steve sang to her were ones he remembered from growing up, songs in a language she didn’t know. Gaelic, he called it.  

“You’re my angel,” he whispered after awhile, “I won’t let anything hurt you. I promise. Not ever again. From now on, you stay right here, yeah? Right here with me.”

Wanda nodded and clung to him a little tighter. Staying right there with him sounded like a good idea. She couldn’t think of anywhere else she’d rather be.

Steve held her that way for…she didn’t really know. It could have been a long time, or just a few minutes more. All she knew was that she was wet and she was getting to a place in her head where she could barely think, it was all fuzzy, and all she knew was that she needed to be held. And that she was crying. Was she crying?  
She must have been, because Steve started speaking to her softly. “Shhh, it’s okay, ladybug. What’s got you so fussy?”

She whimpered pitifully, unable to answer beyond that. Steve picked her up and bounced her a little. “Are you wet? I’m sorry, sweetheart, I should have checked earlier. I think you need a bath anyway.” 

Wanda cried even more when he tried to set her down-the last thing she wanted was to let go. Steve shushed her gently, making sure to keep ahold of her while he got her undressed. “Daddy’s here, honey. I’m not going anywhere. I’m right here. I love you.” 

Wanda splashed absentmindedly at the water a little bit, holding onto him tightly with one hand while he did his best to scrub her and wash her hair. She managed to speak a little bit, asking only in very broken words when Clint was coming.

“Soon,” he promised her, “His flight was delayed, but Mommy went to get him from the airport. All done, sweetie, time to get out.” 

Wanda let him lift her up and dry her off with a towel, allowing herself to giggle a little bit when he tickled her. Steve kissed her cheek, continuing to hum as a distraction while he got her dressed again. When he was finished, Wanda lifted her arms to him. “Up, Daddy.”

She remembered with a slight pang, asking her brother to do the same thing, running to him and begging for him to pick her up. It felt like it had been a million years since he had last held her in his arms. She grabbed onto Steve tight, suddenly worrying yet again that he was going to leave too. 

Sam had gone out to get takeout for dinner, which they ate at a kitchen table while the soft hum of a fan up above provided white noise that kept it from being eerily quiet. Wanda still didn’t say anything and Steve had to help her eat, but she still barely noticed. Her mind was distancing itself again. 

“Mommy,” she said after awhile, when they were done and Sam was helping her brush her teeth. 

“Mommy’s coming, baby girl,” he promised her, “Aren’t you sleepy? It’s really late.” 

She nodded and set her toothbrush down. “I go goodnight now.” 

“Okay. Come on, Daddy’s going to lie down with you for a little while.” 

Wanda climbed into Steve’s bed, letting him snuggle her close. She was tired now, so tired, and she just wanted to lie in his arms forever. 

“Goodnight, sweetie,” Steve whispered, “Daddy loves you.” 

“Love you too,” she mumbled into his chest. The edges of things were starting to blur, and it only took a moment for her to drift off, heart beating steadily once again.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for all the nice comments, guys. <3 They mean the world to me.

_The first day they’d been there, Wanda had screamed. She’d cried and struggled against the bonds holding her arms pinned to her sides until she realized that every time she tried to get away they were going to shock her. Within a few hours, her neck was bleeding._

_And then they grabbed her, strapped her to a metal table and dug scalpels into her skin. They were looking for what made her tick, what made her the monster they kept telling her she was. About halfway through the whole process, she started crying out for Steve and Natasha and her brother. They told her they weren’t coming. They were right. Nobody came._

_“Nobody’s coming for you,” one of  the voices whispered to her, “Nobody’s coming for you, pretty girl.”_

_His tone was mocking, like he was saying it to make fun of her. How many times had Steve or Natasha held their arms out to her and said, “Who’s my pretty girl?” It had felt so real then, it had made her so happy. But maybe, Wanda realized, maybe they hadn’t meant it either._

_The same voice that had called her pretty and really meant she was ugly got a little more open about his feelings later on. “You’d be nicer looking if you weren’t all cut up now. If you weren’t such a fucking freak.”_

_She’d made the mistake of whispering that she wasn’t a freak. The collar sent two shocks in a row._

_Wanda’s lips barely moved as she whispered to herself, “Help me, help me, help me. I want you, Mama. Come find me. Please find me. I’ll never be bad again.”_

 

 

Steve had her wrapped up in his arms now. She was snuggled close to him with her head tucked underneath his chin, his hands in the same spot they’d been left last night when he was gently rubbing her back. Wanda made a little sound of contentment and rubbed Lorna against her cheek.  She didn’t want to wake anyone up, so she stayed quiet and closed her eyes again as her thumb went to her mouth. Steve mumbled something and kissed her forehead sleepily. “Good morning, beautiful girl.”

She flinched a little, but tried not to let it show. “Did Clint come?”

“He got here after you fell asleep and he didn’t want to wake you up. You can go say hi to him now if you want.” Steve helped her stand and steadied her with his hands, since she was always a little shaky in the morning, “Do you want me to carry you?” 

She shook her head. “I can do it, Daddy.” 

“I know honey, I know. But there’s nothing wrong with needing help.”

There certainly was if she was going to be a worthless freak. Wanda didn’t answer him and darted into the living room where she could hear the TV on. Clint was sitting on the couch, not noticing she was there until she ran up and crawled close to him. “Clint, Clint.” 

He turned and suddenly grinned as he pulled her into a hug. “Hey, princess! I’ve missed you so much!”

“Missed you too.” She let him cradle her in his lap, lying back with her head in the crook of his elbow, and looked up to meet his eyes. “I miss you.”

“Oh, sweetheart,” his smile dimmed, “I heard you’ve been having a hard time. Steve told me you’re seeing a therapist.”

“He has green hair. I like him. Lorna does too.” 

“That’s really nice, princess, but-”

“And animal pictures on the walls. I drew pictures. My friends are Jemma and Skye and Leo. Leo is a brother.”

“That’s great.”  
“He’s a _brother,”_ she said in a tone that clearly implied she thought that was about the greatest thing in the world anyone could be, “I have one too. Remember?”

“Yeah, honey,” he murmured as he stroked her cheek with his thumb, “I remember. He loved you so much. I love you too.” 

“He’s gonna come back soon.” 

Clint nodded slowly. “We’ll see. I…talked to Nat about that last night.”  
“What’d she say?”

He cleared his throat loudly. “Fury contacted me. Apparently…there’s something that helped Coulson-”

“Morning, Clint,” Steve’s voice came from a foot away as he walked in with Sam, “Did you sleep okay?” 

“Yeah, great. It’s good to see you guys again. How’ve you been, Sam?”

He shrugged, “As well as I can be after all that crap that happened with the UN. At least we’re on pretty good terms with Tony.”

“And Rhodey?”

“Haven’t heard from him.” 

“Scott?” 

“He’s fine. Haven’t really heard much from T’Challa since Bucky went back into cryo, but I’m sure he’s got his own shit to deal with, running a country and all that. Vision is…I don’t know.”

Wanda straightened up as soon as she heard Sam mention him. She and Vision had become almost like friends-he had kept a watchful eye on her while she played and even read stories to her a few times. Now that she hadn’t see him in awhile, she felt a little saddened. 

“I’ll try and call one of them soon,” Clint said absentmindedly, taking a sippy cup from Steve that he had filled with juice. “Wanda, are you thirsty? You need to drink something.” 

She nodded and took it, gripping the plastic with both hands, staring at it for a moment as if she had no idea what to do with it until Clint took it out of her hands and put it to her mouth himself. Clint had helped her eat and drink before; it wasn’t anything new to him. “There you go, princess. Just try and relax, you’re okay.” 

The last time he’d seen her, she had been bruised and bloodied, straight out of The Raft, so there was a sense of worry in his voice. “That’s it, sweetheart. Good job.” 

Wanda could sense the worry in his voice and reached up to touch his face, wanting to whisper to him not to be upset, that she was okay. Clint shouldn’t have to worry, especially not about her. None of them should have. 

She wasn’t sure how long it was that she stayed like that before Sam picked her up and took her back to her room. “Sorry, hon, but you have to go see Dr. Samson in about an hour. You can see Clint when you get back. Can I put you down while I grab your dress?” 

Wanda did not want to let go but she didn’t want to make a fuss and stress him out either, so she just nodded and pressed her hand hard over her mouth so he didn’t hear her whimper. Her eyes shut tight as she tried to tell herself it was okay. _He’s not going anywhere. Nobody’s leaving you. He’s right there. He’s there._

She barely noticed that Sam was helping her get dressed. Wanda’s mind was stuck in a million other places than the present-back in Sokovia, out by herself in a place she didn’t know…The Raft. The Raft was taking up all the space in her mind.

“All done, baby,” Sam adjusted the bow on the back of her dress. “Let’s go find Steve so he can do your hair. You need to eat something too, before we go.”

“I’m not hungry.”

“Wanda, it’s not up for debate.” 

She didn’t argue, not wanting to mess up how glad she was that Clint was there. He pulled her into his arms again and settled her on his lap. “You look very pretty today.” 

_Flinch_

“Thank you.”

 

 

Natasha took Wanda to see Dr. Samson about half an hour after that, leaving Clint alone with Sam and Steve. They talked a little bit about how Laura and the kids were, the weather, a new show on Netflix. Clint finally stopped beating around the bush and said softly, “She’s not doing well.” It wasn’t a question. 

Steve looked a bit crestfallen and turned to look at Sam on principle, was better at hiding his emotions. He nodded slowly and crossed his arms tightly over his chest as if he shielding himself. “No. She’s not.”

“We knew it would happen,” Steve cut in, “After what they did, I knew this was how it would be. I just thought that maybe if I was prepared for it, it would hurt a little less. But it doesn’t. None of this shit does. We should have had her see a therapist a long time ago and now…God, I feel like it’s too fucking late.” 

Clint didn’t argue with that. “Look, there’s something I have to tell you. I was talking to Nat about it last night, and nothing’s for sure yet, but it’s also pretty important and I thought you should know.” 

Steve looked at him quizzically. “What?” 

“Fury came to see me about a week ago.” 

“What? Why?”

“I’m getting to it,” he took a deep breath, “So you know how they-Shield- took Pietro’s body after he got shot?”

“Yeah.” Steve had figured they wanted it for some kind of research, which at the time, had seemed a bit insensitive to him. Still, he had no idea what Pietro would have wanted and Wanda had been in no state of mind to fight anyone on it. So they’d had a quiet memorial and that was it. “What about it?”

“They revived him.” 

Steve wasn’t sure he had heard right, so he just stood there and stared. Sam’s mouth was hanging open slightly, hands now shoved deep in his pockets. “Uh…what?”

“Remember how we thought Coulson was dead and they brought him back? Same thing. It was actually _meant_ to bring one of the Avengers back to life if anything ever happened.”

Sam shook his head. “If you’re kidding, it’s really not funny.” 

“I’m fucking serious, man. He’s technically alive, just in a coma, and they think he’s going to wake up soon. Fury didn’t want to tell you guys because he thought you had enough shit going on with the government and Ross, and he didn’t want to get Wanda’s hopes up either in case something goes wrong, which is fair enough. But I thought you should know, which is why I came here in the first place. I didn’t want to tell you over the phone. And I thought she should know too, because I really have a feeling that it’s going to work out.”

Steve felt weak in the knees and had to sit down heavily on the couch. “I need a minute. Shit.” 

“Isn’t Fury gonna be pissed that you told us?” Sam asked.   
“Nah, not once the kid comes back to life. But now that I think about it, I have no idea how to tell Wanda. What if she goes into shock or something?”

“I’m already just about there,” Steve said weakly, “I…God, I don’t know. First me, then Coulson, Fury, Bucky, now this. How come none of us can stay dead?”

“We’re some lucky bastards I guess,” Clint leaned back. “So now what?”

“I’ll talk to Natasha about it. She already knows?”

“I told her last night on the ride here.” 

“I would have crashed the car.” 

“It’s _Natasha._ The only time she crashes a car is when she’s trying to kill whoever else is in there with her.”

Sam laughed, “Leave it to her to take it like it’s nothing. But seriously, this? This is all too crazy for me.”

“Yeah, me too,” Steve sighed, “Just think, all she’s wanted this whole time was her brother and it turns out, he was coming back. I just hate the idea that he’s going to have to show up and see her like this.”

“Better that he sees her like this than when we found her at The Raft,” Sam said, “I’m pretty sure he would have killed Ross himself by now.”

 

 

Natasha stopped for fast food on the way home from Dr. Samson’s. He and Wanda had done a lot of  “drawing your feelings,” and talking about self harming. He’d tried to get her to hit something like a pillow instead of pulling her hair or trying to get herself to bleed, but that hadn’t worked so far, so they were back to square one. Honestly, it hadn’t surprised Natasha that that hadn’t worked. Wanda hurting herself felt less like bouts of aggression and more like a heart full of self hatred bubbling over to the surface. 

Dr. Samson had said he wanted to try and see if he could talk to Wanda about consent, which Natasha dreaded more than anything. It was selfish, she knew that, but she didn’t know if she could take hearing in more detail about what had happened on The Raft, which was bound to come up if they were going to be on that subject. 

“Mommy,” Wanda reached over to tap her shoulder. “Almost home?”

“Almost home, baby,” she promised, “And you can go see Clint again. Are you glad he’s here?”

She nodded emphatically.

“Me too.” Natasha made a turn and pulled the car forward, trying not to let her nerves show. “I think him being here…well, he’s bringing good things with him.” 

She hoped so, anyway. Because if there was ever a time when Wanda needed her brother, it was now


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you again so much for all your wonderful comments, guys. <3 I can't begin to describe how much they mean to me.

 

Was the world getting bigger? Wanda was almost positive it was. Either it was growing or she was shrinking within it, like Alice in Wonderland. Either way, she felt very small, too small, and she wanted to curl up and hide. 

Which was why she had hidden herself in a hallway closet with Lorna in her arms and her knees up against her chest. It had seemed like a good idea at first. There were no scary people inside the closet, and she was almost positive that they couldn’t find her and hurt her or Lorna there. But now that she was realizing that it was dark and too tight, she didn’t want to be there anymore.

“Lorna,” she whispered. “Open it.” Her hands were shaking too badly to do it herself. 

Lorna said that she was sorry, but she couldn’t, since cats only had paws and it was impossible for them to open doors like that, which made enough sense to Wanda. She stroked the kitten’s ears and held her close to her heart. She was a little more worn than she had been when Pietro had first found her, but Wanda didn’t love her any less. Holding her sometimes made her feel like her brother was there with her too. 

It was so dark now. It couldn’t possibly have gotten darker or smaller, but Wanda couldn’t help but feel like it had. Why was she so stupid? A closet was a dumb place to hide. 

“I bet I deserve it if I get trapped in here forever,” she told Lorna, sniffling. 

 _Don’t say that_ , Lorna replied, looking almost offended. _Nobody deserves getting stuck in a scar_ y _closet_.

“ _You_ don’t,” she conceded, “You’re the nicest and my most best animal friend. And I love you.”

_You’re my nicest human friend._

“Thank you,” she kissed the top of her head. 

They were quiet for a little while after that, Wanda doing her very best not to cry and eventually failing miserably. Lorna started crying too. _Don’t be sad._

“I can’t help it.”

_I’m sad when you’re sad._

Wanda didn’t want her to be sad, especially if it was all because of her. She tried to hold back her sobs, feeling like her heart was going to burst from everything it was holding from what had happened. She dug her nails, slightly lit up with the red light of her powers, into the skin of her arms again, dragging them down. Once, twice, three times, until she knew that she had started to bleed. 

_Stop it, Wanda! Stop it!_

“I _can’t!”_ That came out louder than intended. She clapped a hand over her mouth right as she heard footsteps running in her direction. The door swung open and suddenly the closet, too dark and too small, had an opening with light flooding in. Wanda didn’t look at who it was or struggle when they picked her up. Steve. It was Steve. 

“Oh my God, _shit_ ,” his voice was panicked, “It’s okay, sweetie, it’s okay. Did you…did you do that on purpose?”  
“Huh?” She felt slightly dazed. 

“Your arms.” 

“Oh,” she looked at one of them and realized that it _was_ bleeding pretty badly. Steve sat her on the bathroom floor before pressing a cloth soaked in warm water to her arms. It stung, and she jerked away.

“Baby, you’ve gotta stay still for this,” Steve said, rummaging through the cabinets for the first aid kit. “You’re not in trouble, I promise. But you cannot do this ever again.” 

“I didn’t mean to! I mean, I did, but…” she trailed off, tears still streaming down her face. “S-sorry.” 

“I know, honey,” he murmured, sitting next to her and wrapping her arms up as best he could. Wanda didn’t like the way it felt at all. It felt the same way the straitjacket Ross had put on her had felt. She screamed and yanked at them, backing up into a corner. “Off, Daddy! Off!”

“Wanda, I can’t take them off,” he said firmly, scooping her up into his arms again. “Shhh, I’ve got you. It’s okay, it’s okay, baby girl. Take deep breaths for me.” 

“Steve?” Sam’s voice sounded from the outside as he knocked on the door, “What’s going on?” 

“She cut herself.”

“Shit,” his voice became almost panicked. “Do I need to call someone?”

“Not right now, I think I got it under control.” Steve picked Wanda up again and opened the door. “But I’ll call Doctor Samson in a little while just to let him know. He said to call if this ever happened.”

“Get ahold of him now,” Sam took Wanda out of Steve’s arms and settled her into his own. “I’ve got her.” 

Steve looked hesitant, but relented after a moment and turned to go grab his phone. Sam took Wanda into her room and sat on the bed with her in his arms, hands stroking her hair. “Deep breaths, sweetheart. Everything’s okay. Shhh, I’ve got you.” 

“I’m a bad girl,” she whispered into his shoulder, tears soaking into his shirt, “I’m sorry, Sam.” 

“Oh, honey. You are _not_ a bad girl, do you understand?” He pulled back to look at her, “Hurting yourself is a bad thing because it’s not good for you, but you are not a bad girl. This happens to people who are going through hard things. I went through it too.” 

That surprised her. “Y-you did?”

He nodded, seeming to choose his words carefully. “When I came back home from my last tour…I was going through a lot. I had lost someone I really loved, and I had a lot of bad memories. So sometimes, I did what you did. I got some help, eventually, but I know that it’s not easy even after you do find other ways to deal with it. I’m sorry, baby girl,” Sam cupped her face with one hand, “I promise, we’ll figure something out. I know it’ll get better when you feel ready to talk about everything that happened in Sokovia and at…well, at The Raft.”

Wanda shook her head. “No, no.”

“Wanda, what happened to you there, you’re not going to get in trouble over it. It wasn’t your fault and-”

Steve interrupted by opening the door and half slamming it against the wall. He looked paler than usual, shaken and scared. “Doctor Samson wants to see you tomorrow, honey. Are you okay?”

Wanda didn’t answer yes or no. Yes would be a lie, and no would just upset him more. She held her arms open to him. “Up, Daddy.”

“Ladybug, I think you need to lie down for a little while. You can go up later, okay?”

Her lower lip quivered, but she didn’t argue. It was better not to cause any more trouble. Even with that in mind, she couldn’t help but tug at the bandages on her arms until Sam took hold of both her wrists. 

“I know, I know,” he sighed as soon as she made a noise of displeasure, “But you have to keep those on for a little while, baby. How’d you even cut yourself that much? Did you have a knife?”

She shook her head and Sam gave her a sterner look. “Wanda Maximoff, if you do, you need to tell.”

“I don’t,” she insisted, bringing her glowing red fingertips to an upper part of her arm she hadn’t touched. “I just did it like-”

“Okay,” Steve grabbed her wrist, “Let’s skip the demonstration. You know that it’s not a good thing to hurt yourself, don’t you?”

Wanda looked up at the ceiling and shrugged. “It’s not bleeding no more.” 

He looked at Sam helplessly, who just shook his head and gave him a look indicating that he should drop it. Steve finally just got on the bed next to her and pressed a kiss to her forehead before pulling back worriedly as he remembered something. “Are you wet, honey? If you are I should probably get you changed first.” 

She was, but she shook her head. Bothering Steve anymore was not anything she wanted to do-and that had to be something that would annoy him, even if he said it didn’t.

“Okay,” he smiled gently, “Do you want to read a story?”

Wanda gave him a dubious look. “Do _you_ want to?”

“Of course. Spending time with you is one of my favorite things, you know that? What book do you want?” 

“Our story,” she stuck her thumb in her mouth and curled up with Sam next to her. He and Steve both felt safe and secure, a million times better than a dark, scary closet. 

“I don’t think you even need the book anymore,” Sam joked as Steve sat down with it, “You’ve probably got that thing memorized by now.” 

“Probably,” he chuckled as he opened it up to the first page. “But she likes the pictures too, right sweetie?”

She nodded and pointed to the two rabbits on the cover. “Bunnies.” 

“That’s right,” he ruffled her hair, “Are you my bunny?” 

“No, no,” Wanda shook her head, “Your baby. And ladybug.” 

“Oh, that’s right. I’ll try to remember next time.” He gave her a kiss on the cheek and reached around her shoulders to pull her close and clasp hands with Sam. The other man looked at him in surprise, but actually smiled within just a few seconds, squeezing back gently. The only noise in the room was the sound of Steve’s voice, a welcome sound. 

 

 

 

It never felt like any time had passed with him and Natasha, Clint thought. Every time he saw her, even if one of them had been away for months, they were able to pick up like they’d just seen each other yesterday. Even now that she seemed a little more on edge than normal, she was the easiest person in the world to talk to. Sitting in the passengers seat of the car he was driving to one of Shield’s newest bases, Natasha hummed along to the songs on the radio, occasionally looking over her shoulder at the traffic behind them. She’d never really trust her surroundings.

“So, he’s here?” She asked finally. 

Clint nodded. “Well, if he’s not here now, he will be soon. You haven’t told Wanda yet, have you?” 

“No. I think we need to lead up to it. I wish I knew this was going to magically fix all her problems but…” she sighed, “God, nothing’s going to ‘fix’ it.” 

“I know.” He tapped his fingers on the side of the steering wheel, staring straight ahead. “Natasha, look.” 

“Yeah?” She pulled a lollipop out of her purse, threw the wrapper in the glovebox, and popped it in her mouth. 

He took a deep breath. “I should have done something to keep her safe when we were there. I’m so, so sorry.” 

“What?”

“I don’t know how Sam and Scott feel about it but I do take responsibility for-”

“Well, you fucking shouldn’t. It’s not your fault, and it’s not Sam or Scott’s fault either. You guys were trapped in super max cells. There wasn’t shit you could’ve done. Whoever did that to her-it’s their fault. And it’s Ross’s fault. Not yours.”

Clint sighed, “It’s hard to look at her going through all of it, you know?”

“Yeah, but it’s not on you. You can’t blame yourself for everything, Clint. It won’t help, and it’s just gonna hurt you. I don’t blame you and neither does Wanda. She’s like, totally psyched to see you, in case you couldn’t tell.”

He snorted. “First of all, you’re one to talk. You blame yourself-”

“For stuff I actually did.”

“Yeah, while you were practically being held captive by an evil Russian spy agency slash dance school. And I’m glad to see her too. I’ll spend some time with her later on. Maybe we can watch a movie or something.” 

“That’s a nice idea,” she smiled at him, then regained her more somber look as he pulled up in front of what looked like nothing at first-just an open field. “Is this it?”

“Yep,” he swung the door open and got out, pocketing the keys. “There aren’t really that many helicarrier landing strips anymore, so I guess they have to settle for this. But they know we’re coming.”

Natasha took a few steps forward, then paused as the cloaking device around the aircraft almost shimmered, then disappeared. Standing at the top of the brow was Doctor Cho, waving to them with a smile. 

“Helen!” Natasha walked up and gave her a hug. “It’s really been way too long.”

“It has,” she laughed, hugging her back. “It’s good to see you again, Natasha. And you too, Clint.”

He nodded and smiled. “Hey, how’s that kid of yours?”

“Oh, Amadeus is great,” she smiled brightly as she ushered them down the hall, “He’s with his dad right now, but growing so fast, I can’t believe it. I was really hoping you’d all be okay after everything that happened.”

Natasha bit her lip. “Okay is a bit subjective I guess. So…he’s here?”

She nodded. “Not awake yet. They’re thinking within the next day or so. Brain activity is all normal as far as I can tell. He’ll be fine.”

“Thank God,” Clint breathed a sigh of relief. “Can we see him?” 

She nodded and went to unlock a door with a key card. “Right through here.”  
Natasha stayed in front of Clint, still cautious over this whole thing. In the middle of the room, within the same cradle that Vision and Ultron had both been born in, Pietro was lying silently. She would have thought he was dead if it weren’t for the slight rise and fall of his chest as he breathed. 

“Jesus Christ,” she whispered, stepping forward. “This shouldn’t be possib-”

The machine hooked up to the cradle started beeping and she almost jumped back in shock. Helen ran to the controls and started typing something in. “Well, that’s a bit…sooner than expected.”

“What is?”

She looked over her shoulder. “He’s awake.” 


	12. Chapter 12

The last thing Pietro remembered was feeling like he had just been set on fire, and how he had thought that oddly enough, it was nothing. Nothing compared to the experiments at least. Even at least twenty bullets piercing your skin couldn’t compare to what that had been like. 

No, the worst part of getting shot was the sudden, sickening realization that he was about to leave his sister completely alone. It had been practically instinctual to shield Clint and Costel-all he had wanted to do was to save one more innocent life from being taken. He’d seen that happen too many times in his life. 

Of course, leaving Wanda by herself had always ben a fear of his. Zrinka, Costel’s sister and a “friend” of theirs, was always telling him that she’d never survive on her own. Even if her upbringing had resulted in her being decently street smart, she was emotionally fragile and needy as anything. 

_“You have to stop babying her,” Zrinka had snapped at him one night while they sat on a curb, smoking, “What’s gonna happen when you die?”_

_“I’m not dying.”_

_“Look at this city!” She’d waved her hand around madly, “It’s home. But it's killing us!”_

_Pietro ignored the appalled looks on the faces of a few people walking nearby. To be fair, Novi Grad was, to put it lightly, dangerous--through no real fault of the citizens who resided there. People were getting shot or bombed practically every day. Most of the residents were starving, and Pietro and Wanda had been homeless for years._

_“Look,” he finally told her, “I can take care of my sister just fine, and she can’t help the way she is so you can just-”_

_“Pietro?” Wanda crawled out of the shelter, rubbing her eyes._

_He turned around. “You’re supposed to be in bed, honey.”_

_“I couldn’t sleep.” She curled up next to him, “I forgot to say, ‘I love you’ before.”_

_Pietro laughed softly, “You don’t have to say that every night. You say it often enough.”_

_She looked shocked. “Yes, I do. What if you forget?”_

_“I won’t forget, darling. I promise. Go back to bed now, I’ll be there in a minute.”_

_Wanda kicked at some rubble at the edge of the street, watching the cars go by. “I wanna stay up.”_

_“You need to sleep. The factory works you too hard.” If Pietro had it his way, Wanda would not be working, but she insisted that they needed any money they could get, which was true._

_She leaned her head on his shoulder. “Five more minutes?”_

_He sighed and put an arm around her shoulder, relenting. “Five more minutes, and then it’s your bedtime. It’s past midnight already.”_

_“When I go to sleep, are you gonna be there in the morning?”_

_Pietro nodded, pressing a kiss to her forehead. “I’m always going to be there.”_

 

He wasn’t in Sokovia anymore, smoking cigarettes in the street while his sister, wrapped up in her tattered nightgown climbed into his lap and asked for one more story. All of that was a million miles away. 

But if he wasn’t in Sokovia, then where the hell was he? And who wouldn’t stop talking?

“…you remember cities, right? And…did they have a national animal or something?”

“I have no idea.” A new voice, one belonging to a woman. It sounded just as familiar as the first. “Why are you saying all this again?”

“I read that talking about things people are familiar with helps ease them out of comas-don’t look at me like that. It’s not like trying is going to hurt anyone.”  
“Do you really believe that might work?”

“Nat, he just came back to life. I’ll believe anything.” 

Nat, Nat. 

Natasha. Clint. The Avengers. Pietro’s eyes flew open right as he sat up straight. Nope, definitely not in Sokovia anymore. This looked more like a lab. When he spoke, he barely recognized his own voice. It felt foreign to him. 

“Where am I?” He managed, “What the hell is this?” 

“Pietro, calm down,” Clint put a hand on his shoulder. “What do you remember?”

“Burning. Ultron…” he blinked, “Barton and Costel. They-”

“They’re okay. They have been, for awhile now, as you can see.” A vaguely familiar looking woman in a doctor’s coat sat next to him. “Do you have any idea where you are right now? When it is?”

He shook his head, forcing himself up and onto his feet, almost immediately falling over. “My sister…my Wanda, where is she? Is she alright?”

“Pietro, you need to-”

“Where is my sister?” He shouted it, making them all jump slightly, “What did you do?” 

“Pietro, we didn’t do anything. She’s…uh, fine.” Natasha looked at Clint, “Look, you need to sit down. If you want to see her, it’s going to have to be after we’ve explained everything. You got shot, you know that?”

“Yeah. I thought I was going to fucking die.” 

“Well, you did. For a little while,” she said slowly, “Shield managed to save you, but you were…out for a long time.”

Pietro looked suspicious. “How long?”

Clint spoke now. “About a year.”

 _Fuck, fuck, fuck._ It took a good solid minute for those words to sink in, but once they did, Pietro lost whatever balance he had regained and slid down against the wall. A year. A year missed. A year gone. Was he twenty now? Fuck. 

“Pietro?” The doctor was kneeling next to him with a hand on his shoulder, “Are you okay?”

“No.” No, he was not okay on any level. He had missed a _year._

“If you need us to give you some space…”

“I’m fine,” he mumbled, “Just give me a minute. What-what happened? Where is she?”  
“Wanda’s at home. Steve is watching her, and Sam. You didn’t meet him, but he’s great,” Natasha explained, “I promise, she’s alive, she’s safe.”

“You don’t understand,” he said desperately, his voice breaking, “She can’t be apart from me. She needs someone to brush her hair and hug her and-and she just can’t be alone.”

“I know,” she said gently, “We all figured that out pretty fast. Steve and I…we kinda adopted her.”

“What?” That completely shocked him. “You _adopted_ her?”

“Well, she kinda adopted them too,” Clint shrugged. “She really needed someone to care for her, especially since you were gone. She’s missed you so, so much.”

Pietro felt sick, thinking about his sister being taken to some unfamiliar new home all by herself.  “I need to see her.”

“Hold on, kid,” Clint put a hand on his shoulder. “There’s stuff you should know before you go and see anybody. There’s plenty that’s happened in the past year, and not all of it’s good.”

“What do you mean? I thought you said she was fine!”

Clint exchanged another look with Natasha, who sat down and took Pietro’s hand. “We have a lot to talk about.”

 

 

“God, where are they?” Steve muttered after trying to call Natasha for what felt like the billionth time. “They could at least call and let us know they’re alive.” 

“Maybe they have their phones off,” Sam suggested. 

“Yeah, could be. But that’s really unlike them, not telling us where they are if they’re running late,” he sighed and put the phone down. “I’d better go get the baby up, I can hear her crying already.”

Wanda did sometimes cry when she woke up alone. Dr Samson said that it was probably related to her separation anxiety, and Sharon, when Steve had mentioned this to her, suggested the cry it out method. That lasted for less than a minute. Steve hated just leaving her to sob, and he knew it wouldn’t do any good anyway.

“Shhh, sweetheart, shhh,” he murmured as he picked her up, “Daddy’s here now. You’re okay.”

Wanda stopped crying a little bit when she was in his arms, settling down enough to suck her thumb. Steve bounced her a little bit and gave her a kiss on the cheek. “That’s better, huh baby? You just needed a hug. Did you have nice dreams?”

She nodded. “Brother.”

“Oh, that’s nice. Dreams can be a good way of…remembering someone.” He couldn’t think of any other way to put it. “You’re wet, sweetie.”  
She immediately stiffened. “I-I’m sorry, Daddy, I didn’t mean to-”

He shushed her again. “It’s no big deal, baby girl, I know you can’t help it. Lie down, I’ll get you changed, okay?”

“Fast. Promise?”

“I’ll be quick,” he nodded, “I’m going to set you down, but I’m not leaving you. Ready?”

Wanda did not look ready, but nodded anyway, and let him set her on the floor. She let a whimper escape her throat and grabbed at him, getting only fistfuls of air.

“It’s okay, it’s okay,” he said soothingly, “Daddy’s just getting a few things and when we’re done I’m going to pick you up again. You’re alright, sweetheart. I’m not leaving. You are doing such a good job, I’m so proud of you.”

Wanda shut her eyes tight and held Lorna to her chest, holding almost completely still while Steve got her changed and dressed again. As soon as he picked her up, he could hear her breathe a sigh of relief.

“Good girl, Wanda!” He smiled at her, “You did great. See, it’s not so scary to be away from dad, right?”

It was, but she didn’t say that. Wanda leaned on Steve as limply as a rag doll until he brought her out to Sam, who held her on his lap for a little while, keeping his arms safe and secure around her. He and Steve tried to keep things light, but Wanda knew. She knew Clint and her mother were gone. And she didn’t want to cry, she was trying so hard not to cry because she wanted to be good.

“Be good,” she whispered to herself, curling up against Sam’s chest. “For your brother. Be good. He’s coming soon.” 


	13. Chapter 13

_It was five thirty in the morning exactly, and Wanda Maximoff was awake, curled up into a little ball, sucking her thumb. Pietro was cocooned around her, holding her close to his chest with both hands on her back and his lips inches away from where he had kissed her forehead goodnight before they went to sleep. Wanda just wanted to stay cuddled up with him forever._

_But she had to work, and so did he. She shook him awake gently, “Pietro, wake up.”_

_He opened his eyes slowly, yawning. “Did you sleep okay, honey?”_

_“Uh-huh,” she nodded, “I wanna sleep some more.”_

_“I know,” he laughed softly and sat up. “Me too. Come on, let’s get you ready.”_

_The shelter they lived next to had showers, but people had to line up to get in, and you got a pretty limited amount of time. The only reason the twins didn’t sleep there was because the place was already overflowing and didn’t have any room left for people to stay. Wanda saw people starting to drift out of it as soon as she crawled out of their own little shelter, the one they had set up in an alleyway. She shivered against the cold, her thin nightgown doing nothing to protect her against the wind. Zrinka was awake already, carrying her sleeping little brother._

_“You two go first,” she said to them, “I don’t have to work today. No buses going to that part of the city until they fix that bridge that was bombed.”_

_“No work means no money,” Costel mumbled, still half asleep._

_“Yeah, well. Seventy-five cents an hour isn’t shit anyways.”_

_Wanda flinched. She only made fifty cents an hour. If seventy-five “wasn’t shit” they had to be even worse off._

_Pietro smoothed his sister’s hair, “Come on, little love. We can’t be late.”_

_Wanda followed him through the throng of people and into the shelter. It was crowded, and she could smell what sounded like an attempt at breakfast cooking from a room away. She’d eat it anyway-they were starving, and you couldn’t be picky when you lived on the street. Pietro pulled her into a shower stall, set their clothes aside, and unbuttoned her nightgown. “I’ll try and make it quick, but you need to stay still, yeah?”_

_Wanda nodded and didn’t move while her brother scrubbed her down and washed her hair. The water was freezing and she shivered. He was cold too, she could tell._

_“All done, honey.’” He shut the water off and dried her with a pale green towel full of holes. Wanda poked her fingers through a few of them while Pietro combed her hair and put it up in a ponytail, the same way he did every morning._

_“I help you. I help you too.” Wanda told him eventually in a firm tone of voice._

_Pietro laughed. “You don’t have to, hon. I can get ready myself.”_

_She shook her head and took the comb out of his hand before running it through his hair. She had to stand on her toes to reach. “I help you.”_

_“Alright, Wanda,” he touched her hand, “That’s very sweet of you. I have such a nice sister. I’m probably the luckiest brother in the world, did you know that?”_

_“In the whole world? All of it?”_

_“That’s right.” He started to help her get dressed, “You make me feel better when I’m sad, you help with lots of things, and you have the most beautiful smile.”_

_“You’re the most handsome,” she told him proudly, “And you’re the most nice.”_

_“Don’t go telling anyone that, I have a reputation I need to keep up,” he joked, “Come on, hon, we’d better get to work.”_

_Wanda was almost shocked again by the bitter cold as soon as she stepped outdoors. The only clothes she had were a raggedy dress, tights with holes in them, boots without laces that were falling apart, and a tattered, oversized coat that Pietro put on her when they got out. He buttoned it up to the top, then cupped her face in his hands. “Good?”_

_She nodded. “Good.”_

_They dropped their things back at their own shelter before walking down the roads through the city. The garment factory Wanda worked at was on the way to the building Pietro cleaned floors in. It barely paid enough for basic necessities-not nearly enough for them to have their own place. He was saving up, little by little, and looking for a better job._

_People were walking into the factory when they got there, trudging through the cold. Pietro kissed Wanda’s forehead. “Be a good girl.”  
“I will,” she promised, “I love you.”_

_“I love you too. Remember,” he gave her a slightly sterner look, “You wait here for me when you’re done, understand? You do not ever, ever go off on your own.”_

_“I know.”_

_“I mean it, Wanda.”_

_“I know,” she said again, “Promise you come back?”_

_He nodded, squeezed her hand, and started walking. “See you later, honey!”_

_Wanda waved goodbye until he disappeared into the throng of people. Then, she pulled her coat tighter around herself and walked up the factory steps._

 

_Pietro didn’t come that night. Wanda stood underneath the darkening sky, sucking her thumb, shuffling her feet anxiously. Her hands hurt, she had just been through a coughing fit, and worst of all, she knew she was on the verge of having an accident. Pietro never got mad at her for that-he’d just kiss her cheeks and tell her not to cry, it was okay, he didn’t love her any less-but that never made her any less ashamed of it._

_Pietro still wasn’t there, and Wanda was starting to get worried. Just as she felt her eyes fill up with tears, Zrinka came walking up the road towards her, calling her name. Wanda ran to her, suddenly full of fear. “Where’s my brother?”_

_“He’s sick and can’t hardly move, so I told him to rest and that I’d come and get you,” she said a bit stiffly, “He wanted to do it himself but honestly I think he probably would have gotten hit by a car if he’d tried. Come on, let’s go.”  
“Zrinka,” she tugged on her hand urgently, “I have to go.” _

_“Well, we’re going. Don’t be fussy.”_

_“No, I have to-”_

_The other girl realized what she meant before she finished her sentence and whipped around, hair flying out. “I swear to God, I’m going to kill you if wet yourself. Be a big girl for once, Wanda. God.”_

_“I’m trying.”_

_Zrinka sighed and grabbed her hand tightly, half walking, half dragging her up to a convenience store less than a mile away. There was a restroom inside, which she pushed her towards. “Be fast.”_

_Wanda nodded and slipped into the tiny room, shutting the door behind her. There was a slightly cracked mirror hanging on the wall, which she caught a glimpse of herself in. Her hair was now tangled and her face was almost gaunt. She could see the bones in her shoulders, a testament to the lack of food they’d had lately. Tired, sickly, skinny, ugly. She tore her gaze away._

_By the time she got out, Zrinka had bought a bag of chips, which she tucked underneath her jacket. “Ready?”  
Wanda nodded and took her hand again. “Thank you.” _

_She shrugged, not saying anything back for awhile until she noticed Wanda sucking her thumb again. “What did I just tell you about trying to be a big girl? Don’t you want to get married?”_

_She’d never thought about it. “I don’t know.”_

_“There is no man out there who would marry a girl that acts the way you do,” she said icily._

_Wanda wasn’t even sure if she wanted to marry a man. “Maybe I’ll have a wife. I wanna marry a princess.”_

_“Oh, would you stop talking?” she sighed, “You’re giving me a headache.”_

_Wanda kept her mouth shut after that, but didn’t take her thumb out of her mouth. She tried to run to their shelter as soon as they got close, but Zrinka grabbed her arm. “No, you don’t. He’s too sick, you’re staying with us tonight.”_

_“No!” He needed her to take care of him, couldn’t she see that? “I have to go see him! He can’t be alone!”_

_“Unlike you, your brother is very capable of taking care of himself. Hush now.”_

_“I have to-”_

_“Wanda!” Zrinka snapped at her, “Stop being such a baby! He doesn’t need you, understand? You need to leave him alone! He’s going to be stuck looking after you for the rest of his life and he’d be better off if he just finally made you leave. All he does is pay attention to you and it drives me fucking crazy, so just shut the hell up for once!” She stopped, breathing hard. It was like she’d been holding all that in for a long time._

_Wanda wanted to burst into tears, but she bit her lip and forced herself not to make a sound as she followed Zrinka to her shelter and curled up into a ball with no arms around her._

_As soon as she was sure the other girl was sleeping soundly with Costel, Wanda crept outside and darted over to their own mass of cloth and cardboard. Inside, Pietro was asleep, but coughing slightly and shaking. Wanda put a hand on his forehead and frowned. She didn’t want to tear cloth from the shelter or one of their blankets, so she tugged hard on a frayed part of her dress that hit just above her knee until it tore off. Creeping outside again, she ran into the building shelter and went into the bathrooms, for once thankful that the water was cold._

_Pietro seemed to be slightly more awake by the time she got back. “Wanda? Is that you, baby?”_

_She nodded, pressing the now damp fragment of the dress to his forehead. “Shhh. You gotta sleep.”_

_“You’re not supposed to be here,” he said faintly._

_“I don’t leave you,” she said stubbornly, “I make you feel better.”_

_Pietro seemed to weak, too out of it to argue, and fell back asleep after a few minutes. Wanda kissed his cheek and whispered so he could barely hear._

_“I look after you. I’m sorry.”_

 

Pietro had never met General Ross. 

But he was ready to go kill him very slowly and painfully. 

It had taken awhile for Natasha and Clint to take turns in getting the whole story out, but by the time they’d finished, he was absolutely shaking with rage. The very thought of anyone hurting his little sister like that was worse than anything the Hydra experiments could have done.

“I’m gonna kill him,” he said in an almost eerily calm voice.

“Kid…” Clint sighed, “You can’t just-”

“No, I can and I will. I’m going to fucking murder that sick son of a bitch for making that happen. Right before I kill him, I’m going to make him tell me who did it, so I can go and kill him too.” 

Natasha put a hand on his shoulder. “Pietro, do you really want to get arrested for killing two people right after you just came back to life? Don’t get yourself in trouble, especially not that kind. Because I’m sure you’d rather be with your sister than on trial for murder.”

“Natasha, you don’t get it!” he yelled, “I promised her I’d always take care of her! I told her I’d always be there, and look what happened when I wasn’t!”

“Kid. Pietro. It wasn’t your fault,” she said softly, “You gave your life for Clint and for a little boy. She missed you, but she understood. She knows that you’re brave, and that there was nothing you could have done, even if you were here.”

“I don’t give a fuck about being brave. I want to see her.” 

“And you can when you’ve calmed down. I know that’s a tall order after what I just told you, but you need to try.” Natasha was no stranger to calming down high stress situations-it was part of the job. Clint hung back a little bit, looking almost guilty. 

“How do you feel?” He asked, “Being brought back to life, I mean.”

“I don’t know. I don’t…fuck,” Pietro buried his head in his hands. “I need to run.”

“What?” 

“I have to. Just…give me a minute.” 

Before either Natasha or Clint could say anything, he was out the door. 

 

 

Phil and Melinda didn’t know where Clint and Natasha were. Tony didn’t know. Rhodey didn’t either. Fury wasn’t picking up his phone, which didn’t surprise any of them. 

“I’m starting to get worried,” Steve said after he hung up with Maria Hill, “Should we go look for them?”

“Look where?” Sam shook his head, “Where would they be?”

“I don’t know,” he admitted, “Do you think Ross might have…”

“No. After everything that happened and all the bad press he ended up with, he’s not that stupid. Do you really think Nat would let herself get caught?”

“Sometimes I don’t know why Natasha does anything,” Steve said with a hint of bitterness in his voice, putting his phone in his pocket. “Where’d they say they were going again?”

“To see the kid.” He said that last part in a hushed voice, “I hope nothing went wrong with that. You’d think they’d at least call.”

“Yeah,” he sighed, immediately stopping the conversation when he noticed Wanda come into the room and run up to him. “Where’s Mommy?”

“She’s okay, baby girl,” he promised her, “What were you playing?” 

“Lorna and me played tag. And I made pictures for Sky and Jemma and Leo and my brother. He likes blue.”

“That’s nice, Wanda.” Steve picked her up and kissed her temple. “I don’t know if Mommy and Clint are gonna be home soon so how about we just eat now and-”

She went pale. “Why not?”

“They’re fine, sweetie, they’re okay. Just running a little late, that’s all.” 

Wanda looked dubious. “Really?”

“Yeah. I just talked to them on the phone.” He didn’t like lying to her, but he didn’t want her to have another panic attack either. “I’m just gonna order pizza, I don’t feel like cooking. And you probably need a bath.”

She looked down at her arms and tugged at the bandages a little bit. “I wanna take off them.” 

In truth, part of the reason Steve had wanted her to have her arms covered a little longer was because he hoped the bandages would alleviate her from hurting herself. She just ended up attacking other parts of her body, mainly her face, so that ended up being pointless. With that in mind, he sighed and relented. “Yeah, you can. I’ll help you, alright? Come on.” 

Sam shook his head and took her from Steve’s arms gently. “I’ve dealt with this more times before, Cap.”  
That was fair enough. Steve turned around as Sam left to dial Natasha one more time. It hit voicemail and he groaned in frustration. “Natasha, if you get this, call me back. At least let us know that you guys haven’t been kidnapped or something. It’s been hours.” Maybe he was being paranoid but this was pretty unlike Natasha and Clint-and that coupled with the fact that they were still probably being watched by whoever Ross had working for him didn’t help matters at all. 

Wanda came running back within fifteen minutes, looking immensely relieved. “Gone. Sam took them off and he said we can watch movies!”

Steve tried not to flinch at the sight of the fresh scars running down her arms, a reminder of something he never wanted to see again. “I think that sounds like a nice idea, honey. Why don’t you go pick out something to watch?” 

“Okay, Daddy!” She turned around, pausing long enough to ask, “Mommy and Clint is still gone?” 

“Yeah, sweetheart. Just for now. They’ll be back.” _God damn it, you both had_ ** _better_** _come back._

Wanda came back with a few DVDs, the first one with a picture of a young boy on the front, standing in front of a house. Steve picked it up and rolled his eyes. “There is no way I’m showing you _Insidious.”_

“How come?”

“It’s too scary, you’ll get nightmares.” She had enough of those already, “I need to get Nat to keep these away from you. Don’t you want something else?”

“Little Mermaid.”

“Yeah, that’s better,” he laughed and kissed the top of her head. “Food should be here soon, I’ll just set things up. Do you want a bath before or after?” 

“Before. Now,” she tugged on his hand, “You too.”

“Okay, ladybug. Daddy’s not leaving you.” He picked her up and kissed her cheek, “I love you so much, baby.”

“Love you too,” she mumbled, leaning close to him, “Give hugs?”

“After you’re all done. I know you want to cuddle, baby.” Wanda seemed to have less of a desire and more of an overwhelming need to be held, which sometimes meant that giving her a bath was a less than enjoyable task. Tonight, she stayed pretty quiet for awhile until she started grabbing his arm and making little whimpering noises. Steve kissed her forehead. “Can you use your words?” 

“Hugs. Hugs, Daddy. Please?”

Steve scooped her up and got her dried off and dressed in an oversized T-shirt that went down to her mid thighs. Wanda put her thumb in her mouth, then pulled it away, flinching. “Do I have to wear-”

“Yes. I’m sorry sweetie, but you’ve been having accidents a lot lately,” he smoothed her hair back, “It’s just me and Sam, trust me. Nobody cares.”

Wanda seemed to care a lot, but she let him finish getting her dressed without complaining. When he was done, Steve cradled her in his arms for a few moments, pressing his lips to her hair.  “Little one.” 

“Yeah?”

“Oh, nothing,” he laughed a bit as he stood, still holding her, “I was just thinking out loud.”

“I do that,” she was mumbling a little bit since she was sucking her thumb, “What’re you thinking, Daddy?”

He sat on the couch next to Sam. “I was thinking that you are a very sweet girl and I’m lucky that I get to have you in my life.”

Sam reached over and touched her cheek. “We both are.” 

Wanda looked a bit unsure about the amount of truth in that, but Steve still saw the happiness in her eyes. He knew that face. It was the _holy fuck, somebody likes me_ look. 

And he didn’t ever want to see it leave.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, next chapter I promise is the reunion scene (I'm sorry it seems like I'm putting it off!)


	14. Chapter 14

It was the middle of the night and Wanda knew that something was different.

Clutching Lorna to her chest she climbed out of bed and crept through the dark, shaking. There was a sliver of light coming from outside the door, but no sound of Steve and Sam talking to each other. Instead, Wanda found Scott sitting and watching TV at a low volume. Her lower lip quivered. “Where’s Sam? Where’s my dad?”

Scott turned to look in surprise. “Oh, sweetheart. It’s late, you should be asleep.”

“I had dreams. Scary ones.”

He held his arms out and pulled her up onto his lap. “I’m sorry, Wanda. It wasn’t real, I promise.” 

But it had been real. Being crushed underneath rubble, staring at the hole the dead bodies of her parents had fallen through while a bomb lay right in front of her, a death sentence in the midst of the rubble. And then, just when she thought that maybe things would get better, Pietro dying. The Raft. All of it. It was too real. 

“Sam and Steve just went out to see if they could figure out where Natasha and Clint got off to,” Scott said finally, “They’ll be back soon. I was actually in the neighborhood so when they called me earlier, I said I’d come over and watch you. Vision offered too, but…”

“He did?”  
“Yeah, but Steve said no,” he admitted, “He’s just a little more protective of you lately, after what happened.”

“But Vision wouldn’t-”

“Sweetie. Just trust your daddy on this. I think he’s right, to tell you the truth. And now you need to go back to bed.” 

Wanda shook her head. “Not tired. Let’s play.”

“Nice try, kid,” he laughed, “But really, it’s way too late. You don’t want to be tired tomorrow, do you?”

“Don’t know.” She fidgeted slightly, tugging on the hem of the oversized blue shirt she was wearing. It was one of Steve’s. “Want my brother.” 

“I know, baby.” Scott stroked her hair, “I know.”

“He needs me. He’s scared.” 

Scott cleared his throat, looking almost nervous. “I really think I’d better put you down for bed again, honey. Do you want me to cuddle with you for awhile until you fall asleep? Because we can do that. And I should get you changed, huh? Come on, baby girl.”

Wanda sucked on her thumb anxiously and didn’t move. “My brother’s out there.”

“That’s nice,” he stood up and took her hand, “I know how much he means to you.”

“Do you got a brother, Scott?” she asked curiously. 

“Me? Oh no, I was an only child,” he shook his head and motioned for her to lie down, “Legs up, hon. I wanted siblings though. A brother would have been nice.”

Wanda closed her eyes and mumbled, “Or sisters?”

“Or a sister,” he agreed, “But you’re kind of like a little sister to me.”

“Really?”

“Really,” he finished up and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “All done, baby girl. Time for bed.”

“I don’t want to,” she bit her lip, “I don’t want to dream again.” 

“You don’t want to…oh.” He suddenly looked almost sad, “Oh, honey. C’mere. Maybe it’ll help if I hold you for a little while.”

It would. Wanda curled up in his arms, eyes shut. Scott didn’t sing like Steve did, but he hummed quietly and rocked her, rubbing circles on her back. “I’ve got you, sweetheart. You’re safe, I promise.”

Wanda fell asleep right before he did. 

 

 

 

“Jesus fucking Christ,” Steve growled as he drove down the streets of the city, hands gripping the  steering wheel. They’d been to every single place he knew of in the area that Shield had put bases or safehouses at and still, nothing. “I know that they’re secretive and everything but you’d think one of them would call after over five goddamn hours.”

“I’m sure they’re fine.” Sam didn’t sound totally convinced, “Nat can handle herself.” 

“Ross hates Natasha! If he sent someone after her…”

“He wouldn’t do that.”

“I’m not so sure anymore. Look, Natasha and Clint have both made a lot of enemies and when they go missing for this long without calling, can you blame me for thinking that maybe something bad happened?”

Sam actually glared at him. “You’ve always got to be on the pessimistic side, don’t you? Can you maybe have a little faith in the rest of us for once?”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” 

“It means that you’re stressing me out, Steve! I don’t want to sit here and listen to all the things that could possibly be wrong with them! I don’t want to lose anybody either, you know!”

“Sam-”

“No, you listen to me for once,” his voice was shaking, “Do you know what it was like for me up until I became part of the team? I had absolutely _no one_. I came back from the army with a head full of hell and an empty house. Killing myself didn’t work so I tried to help myself, and then help other people. But it didn’t make me any less fucking lonely-you guys are the first, the best family I have ever had. I lost my best friend years ago, I lost Rhodey and Vision because of the Accords-and I don’t want to sit here and listen to how I might have lost someone else too, so please, for the love of God, just be quiet for two fucking seconds!”

Steve stayed quiet and drove the car a little bit further until he parked it on the side of the road. They sat there, saying nothing for what felt like hours and had to actually just be a few minutes before Sam said, “I don’t know where all that came from. It’s….it’s been a long time coming, I guess.”

“Yeah,” Steve said quietly. “It has been. I’m so sorry, Sam. I know that Natasha means a lot to you.”

“You all mean a lot to me. I don’t want to lose any of you. I don’t want the family to break apart anymore than it already has. That’s all I’ve been able to think about lately.”

“And I should have recognized that.”

He shrugged. “To tell you the truth, I can’t really blame you. I’m not that great at sharing my emotions.”

“I think you’re better at it than you think you are.”

“Or maybe you can just read me like a book at this point.”

Steve leaned back in his seat. “Sam Wilson, I am still trying to figure you out. I can’t read you for the life of me.”

“That would explain why you’ve been completely ignoring me fucking hitting on you for the past few months.”

Now it was quiet for a good few minutes longer. Steve looked almost shocked when he said, “I-I haven’t been…I mean, I thought I was _imagining_ it.”

“Why?” His tone was a bit lighter, “Was it that crazy to you that maybe I ended up falling in love with the idiot who drags me into life threatening situations on a daily basis?”  
“Is that what it is? Love?”

“Well, yea-”

Sam didn’t finish his sentence. Steve was kissing him, and he was kissing him back and all he could think was that his heart was going to leap out of his chest and thank God they pulled over before they did this. 

“Fuck,” Steve pulled back, “That was…”

“Late.”

He laughed softly, “Yeah, to say the least. I should have done that a long time ago.”

“I guess we’ve been a little bit busy,” Sam admitted, “But we’ve still got a chance, don’t we? I mean, that sure as hell felt like we’ve got one.”

“We do,” Steve reached over and took his hand, “I’m so, so sorry. I promise, I’m going to make sure we all stay together. I know that if I had agreed to signing the accords we could have avoided all of it.”

“Don’t apologize for _that_. I wouldn’t have signed even if you had. I guess it’s not like Tony was in an easy position either-it was Zemo’s fault. Zemo and Ross.”

“Still,” he said quietly, “I don’t want you to get hurt anymore.”

Sam smiled a bit. “I don’t think any of us are free from not getting hurt ever again, Steve, but I appreciate it. And I don’t think I really knew until now how much I…well, how much I just wanted us all to stay together. I _love_ having a place to go back to that’s full of people. I love having a little girl and taking care of her with you. I never thought I’d get to have any of it, you know? And now that I do, I just don’t want it to go away.”

“I get it. I do,” Steve met his eyes. “From now on-”

He stopped at the sound of his phone ringing, immediately going to grab it. As soon as he saw who it was, he almost cried with relief answering. “Natasha?”

“Steve, I am so fucking sorry. I turned my phone off and Clint’s died and we just didn’t think-” 

“No, you didn’t think! Do you have any idea how scared we were?”

“Don’t _lecture_ me, Rogers.”

“Clint said you’d be back in like, twenty minutes and you’ve been gone all night, Natasha!” Steve yelled, “You guys can’t just disappear for that long, not answer your phones and expect us not to get worried! I thought that Ross had gotten to you or something! Why the hell couldn’t you take a minute to just let us know you were alive?”

“Steve!” She raised her voice, “I just spent the whole night dealing with a guy who just came back to life!”

He froze. “What?”

“Pietro woke up. First we had to calm him down because he was freaking out, then we had to explain everything and catch him up on all the shit he missed and then we had to calm him down again and then he kinda ran away and we had to make sure he was okay and he was still kinda losing his mind…it’s just been a really eventful evening, okay? Also, Clint had to run out and get some clothes for him because he didn’t want the poor kid to have to spend any more time in what he’d been wearing while he was legally dead.”

“Jesus Christ,” he took a deep breath, “Where are you?”

“We’re driving back, almost home. I kinda wanted him to wait another few days before seeing her but he really wanted it to be now and I figured that it wasn’t really going to do any harm.” 

“Okay.” He put the keys back in the ignition and pulled out into the street. “We’re on our way.”

Her voice suddenly grew slightly panicked. “You’re not there? Did you guys leave the baby  _alone?”  
_

“Of course we didn’t! Scott offered to babysit. What kind of parents do you think we are?”

“I think it’s obvious that _I’m_ the best parent,” she said lightly.

“I know for a fact that Sam will fight you on that. See you guys soon.” He ended the call and put the phone back in his pocket. Sam looked relieved. “They’re okay?”

“Yep,” he nodded, “They’re _all_ okay.”

 

 

Scott had rocked Wanda to sleep within minutes, but she had woken up crying far too soon afterwards, at which point he just gave up and let her sit on his lap while he watched old reruns of Friends. 

“I’m actually not sure if you’re allowed to watch this, so don’t tell your parents,” he said jokingly.

“Vision showed me a movie once I wasn’t supposed to watch,” she told him, “It was really scary.”

“He shouldn’t have done that,” Scott tried not to smile, “Freaking Vision, man.” 

“He thought it was okay because it had a doll on the front. But the doll was bad and killed people. I have a doll, but she won’t do that. Her name is Lucy,” she explained, “She has a pink dress. Mommy got her for me. I never had a doll before.”

Scott felt a little pang in his chest. “You really never had a doll?”

She shook her head. “I wanted one.”

“Why didn’t you ask?”

“It’s rude to ask for things.”  

He couldn’t help but laugh-she was usually so…well, babyish in the way she talked that when she came out sounding so prim, it was almost funny. “Wanda, it’s okay to ask for stuff you want sometimes. And it’s okay to let people know when you need something too-actually, that’s important. You have to let a grownup know when you need something, okay?”

She bit her lip. “I don’t wanna make people upset.”

“You won’t. Trust me, it’ll make your family very happy if you tell them what you need instead of keeping it all hidden away.” 

She nodded silently before going almost rigid so fast she almost fell to the ground. Scott felt his heart stop and turned her to face him. “Are you okay?”

She pointed to the door. “I go now.”

“What? No, you can’t play outside right now, honey.”

“No,” she whimpered, practically falling to the floor, “I’ve gotta-”

The door swung open, and Steve walked in cautiously, hands shoved deep in his pockets. “Wanda…”

Her eyes filled with tears. “Daddy.”

“Sweetheart, there’s something I have to tell you.”

Wanda didn’t stay to hear what it was. She ran right past him, out the door, down the hall, until she got outside. Across the street, she could see two cars parked, people getting out. One with red hair-Natasha-Sam, Clint and…

She let out a strangled cry and ran forward, but it only took a second before she was wrapped up in his arms. Pietro held his sister close, crying silently and whispering her name over and over. 

“My brother,” she sobbed, “My brother.”

“My everything,” he kissed her forehead, “Oh, Wanda. I am so, so sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry.”

“I should never have left you all alone.”

It didn’t matter. Wanda cried into her brother’s chest, holding onto him like she never wanted to let go. “Please stay, please stay.”

“I’m staying,” he choked out, “I’m here now.” 

“I love you.”

“I love you too, my beautiful sister.”

“Don’t go.”

“Shhh,” he rocked her a little bit. “I’ve got you. I’ve got you.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ugh, I'm sorry that this sucked so bad. But I hope you guys know that I really do appreciate all the nice comments and support (I srsly don't deserve such wonderful readers!)


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for the lovely comments guys (I know, I know, I say that every chapter and it's probably annoying) but it REALLY does make me so happy and I appreciate all of you so much!

Almost a week back in the land of the living hadn’t helped Pietro get used to how he looked. It was almost like he’d forgotten and now every time he caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror, he was taken by surprise. Something had changed and he couldn’t put his finger on it or decide whether it was good or bad. 

It was around two in the morning and he stood in front of the bathroom mirror, piercing blue eyes staring back at him, silvery hair that had once been brown tousled from sleep. It felt unnatural to be in a house. Just over a year ago, he’d been on the streets of a war zone. 

Pietro looked away almost timidly and walked back into the bedroom. He and Wanda hadn’t been apart since he came back-every time she was out of his sight, he felt a kind of tightness in his chest. She’d always been the one with separation anxiety, the one who cried when he was gone and begged him to pick her up. It had been commonplace before, but it was almost sacred to him now. 

Of course, Wanda had stayed glued to him. She’d mostly spent the past few days curled up in his arms, not saying much unless he talked to her first. She had friends now, Jemma, Skye and Leo (Pietro wasn’t sure how he felt about that), she saw a therapist with green hair (he _really_ wasn’t sure how he felt about that) and she was learning to write her name (that almost made him cry, but it was out of happiness). He had so badly wanted her to go to school instead of work in a factory for less than what the minimum wage in the United States was. 

Maybe he’d learn to write his name too. Anything was possible, right?

Pietro walked back into the bedroom, yawning. Wanda had kicked some of the blankets off in her sleep and was shivering a little bit, curled up with her knees to her chest and her soft, pink nightgown bunched up around her thighs. She had her thumb in her mouth again and hair falling across her rosy cheeks, while Lorna stayed tucked underneath her arm. God, she had kept that thing and never let go of it. For the moment, Pietro couldn’t tear his eyes away from how sweet she looked.

It made him fucking furious. Not her. Knowing what had happened. 

It was a sickening thing to have to hear. Natasha and Clint had explained to him what had happened after he died-that Wanda had broken down and attached herself to the team, looking at Steve and Natasha as “Mommy and Daddy.” At first he’d felt relief more than anything else. She’d been taken care of and loved, which was really just what he wanted for her. But then Natasha had pressed on through everything about the Accords, the fighting, leading up to several of them being imprisoned. 

His baby sister locked up in a prison. Alone. In a fucking straitjacket with a shock collar around her neck. That alone had been enough to make Pietro want to scream. It couldn’t possibly get any worse. 

And then Natasha said it, almost deadpan. “Wanda was raped.”

Rape. 

That had to be the ugliest fucking word in the whole universe. Pietro had been so, so careful with Wanda for years. He had been strict with her about not talking to strangers, he had never let her be alone with anyone he didn’t completely trust (and those were few and far between). But of course, when he wasn’t there to protect her, that’s what had happened. It didn’t matter what anyone else said. Pietro still had every intention of destroying the man who had laid his hands on his sister.

He kissed her forehead gently before getting back into bed next to her and pulling the blankets back up over her shoulders. 

“Pietro?” She was barely awake.

“Shhh. Go back to sleep, sweet girl.” He spoke in Sokovic-they rarely communicated in English.

She mumbled something that was unintelligible until she crawled on top of his chest and grabbed onto his shirt, pressing kisses to his cheek and whispering, “Mine, mine.”  
Her voice was a little more high pitched, slurred and shaky. It reminded Pietro a little of the few times she’d regress to a very young age and would make what were almost like babbling sounds. He laughed softly and stroked her hair, “You will always have me wrapped around your finger.”

“Mine.” There was a hint of worry in her voice now. “Pietro…”

“Oh, sweetheart. I’m not going anywhere. I promise.” A promise he’d made before. Pietro smoothed her hair as outside, he could hear rain start to fall and thunder rumble in the distance. It was a nice thought that they were no longer shivering and cold, huddling together for any amount of warmth. For the first time, they were safe. Wanda started to fall back asleep and Pietro felt the beat of his heart steady out. 

 

Clint was extending his stay presumably because Pietro had woken up, which was both a good thing and a bad thing. Pietro figured it was good because it seemed to make Natasha happy when he stuck around, Wanda liked him, and he was helpful. But on the negative side, he couldn’t help but think that Clint would have been just as well off _not_ staying on his behalf since he walked on eggshells around him. He barely spoke a word to Pietro and when he did, it was usually just a mumbled question on what he wanted for dinner or something like that. Natasha had quietly said that Clint was dealing with feelings of guilt over Pietro and that he’d warm up to him soon, just give it time. Pietro didn’t think it was necessary for Clint to feel guilty about jack shit since he didn’t blame him for what had happened, but that didn’t change the fact that the archer seemed convinced that he secretly hated him and was planning his demise. That might have been true when they met, but there were more important things to think about now. 

It was still raining outside the next morning, and the wind was picking up, cold and wet. Wanda was sitting with her brother close by while Steve did her hair. She was sucking her thumb, but took it out long enough to say, “I don’t wanna go.”

“Wanda, it’s good for you to see Doctor Samson. Pietro will go with you today, okay? And maybe it’ll be…uh, good for him to meet him.”

Pietro shot him a look. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Steve cleared his throat and looked at Clint as if for support. “Just that maybe it’d be a good idea for you to talk to someone.”

“I don’t need a shrink!” Psychologists were doctors and most of the doctors Pietro had known were pure evil. “I can’t believe you want me to-”

“Calm down,” Steve put a hand up, “It was just a suggestion. We won’t make you do anything you don’t want to. I’m just saying that you’ve been through a lot and talking it out with a professional might be helpful.”

“It would not be helpful.” Pietro couldn’t think of any experience more miserable than having to sit and talk to a complete stranger about his feelings. 

Sam interjected, “It’s really not as bad as it sounds.”

“Sure it’s not. Look, maybe it works for some people. But not me.”

Steve opened his mouth again, but didn’t say anything after Sam gave him a look that clearly said to drop it. 

“Isn’t Coulson coming by later?” Clint interjected. 

“Yeah, he’s bringing the kids. May might come too.” Steve finished up with Wanda’s hair and tickled her a little bit. “All done, princess. You’re just the prettiest girl in the whole world, huh?”

Wanda blushed. “No, I’m not.”

“Trust me, I know. I’m sure your brother agrees.”

Pietro did. Of course he did. 

They watched some kind of annoying cartoon about ponies and the magic of friendship for a little bit while eating (that was another thing Pietro had to get used to-access to food and water that was actually drinkable) until Natasha said that it was time for them to go. Pietro stood up and looked at her expectantly. “Aren’t you coming?”

“Not today. I thought it would be a good idea if you and Clint took her.”

Clint choked on his coffee, which somewhat distracted from the fact that most of the color had just drained from his face. “What?”

“Yep,” she said conversationally, “Drive safe, the wind’s crazy today.”

“Natasha-”

“I’ve gotta go,” she stood up and put her phone in her pocket. “Melinda and I are actually meeting for coffee. See you guys later.”

Wanda ran up and hugged her. “Bye-bye, Mommy.” 

“Bye, kitten. Be a good girl,” she kissed her forehead. “Mommy loves you.”

Clint still looked mildly terrified, not even looking at Pietro while he grabbed the car keys and helped Wanda get her coat on. She held her brother’s hand tight. 

The drive over was no less awkward. Pietro would have preferred to drive because _God,_ Clint was slow, but he didn’t have a license, which mean he was stuck in the passengers seat, flipping through various radio stations and pretending that the silence in the car wasn’t there. 

“Look,” he finally said to Clint, “You’re avoiding me. I get it. But…” 

“I’m not avoiding you,” he mumbled, hands gripping the steering wheel tightly. “I just don’t have a lot to say, that’s all.”

“I don’t want things to be awkward between us.”

“They’re not awkward. What’s awkward about it?”

Pietro rolled his eyes. “You get super tense whenever you see me.”

“What?” Clint sounded confused and it took Pietro a moment to realize that he hadn’t been speaking English. He tried again, “I can just tell that you’re upset.”

“Do we have to do this now?” He looked over his shoulder for a moment at Wanda, who was sucking her thumb and immersed in looking out the window at the rain. She didn’t seem to be paying them any attention whatsoever. 

Pietro didn’t bring the subject up again. If Clint wanted to be afraid of him, fine. He’d figure out he didn’t have a reason to be soon enough, right?

After about five minutes, they pulled into the parking lot of the building where Doctor Samson’s office was located. Pietro kept Wanda close to him as they walked inside, ready to bolt at any minute. He knew he was being paranoid, but he wasn’t going to trust anyone, much less a doctor, until he actually really got to know them. 

Wanda seemed pretty at ease, which honestly surprised him. She was usually terrified of meeting new people. The shyness was definitely still there, but she went up to the doctor, hugged him and said, “hello,” like it was no big deal. 

“It’s nice to see you!” Doctor Samson smiled at her, “Who’s this you’ve brought with you today?”

Wanda took Pietro’s hand again and looked up at him proudly. “My brother. Mine. He can do _anything.”_

Steve had called and explained everything the other day, so Doctor Samson took this in stride. “It’s nice to meet you…”

“Pietro.”

“Got it,” he shook his hand, “I’ve heard a lot about you, dude. I think your sister is your biggest fan.”

 _Dude?_ The guy didn’t seem at all like a doctor, he was too…laid back. Pietro’s voice was stiff when he said, “I’ve heard a lot about you too. You’re a shrink.”

Clint shot him a look, but Doctor Samson just laughed. “Well, you can call it that if you want. I think we’ve got a lot to talk about today, right?”

That was an understatement. As Wanda followed the doctor into his office, Clint said quietly, “I can go in with her if you want.”

“No,” he shook his head and followed. If his sister had to have someone messing around with her mind, he was going to be there with her. 


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's in the tags, but I want to put a warning here anyways-a good chunk of this chapter is a rape flashback. It's all in italics, if you feel that you shouldn't read it.  
> I know rape scenes are controversial, and I understand why. Nothing I wrote was meant to romanticize it at all.

_At some point, Wanda had been hit in the head and blacked out. When she woke up, she was on the floor with her arms pinned to her sides and something heavy weighing around her neck._

_She wanted to reach up and grab it, see what it was, but she couldn’t move at all. Whatever was holding her was almost suffocating. It distracted her for almost a minute before she actually wondered where she was. The floor was freezing cold steel, and she could faintly see bright lights up above as her eyes adjusted._

_“Sam,” her voice was barely a whisper, but she hoped he could hear it, know that she wanted to make sure he was alright._

_No answer._

_“Clint,” she tried again. “I-”_

_“She’s waking up. Train your weapons.” The voice speaking was most certainly not Sam or Clint, and it wasn’t Scott either. This was cold, calculating, and entirely unfamiliar. Wanda rolled over and tried to see who it was, only able to get a glimpse of three pairs of shiny, black shoes._

_“What’s it doing?” Another voice._

_“Hold on. You don’t want to freak it out, she’ll kill you. This thing’s a fucking monster,” the first voice again._

_Wanda’s heart filled with dread as she realized they were talking about her. Maybe they didn’t know. If she could make them see she wouldn’t try to hurt people, she’d never meant to hurt anyone, they would understand she wasn’t that bad of a monster. Using every ounce of strength, she forced herself upright and met the eyes of the man in front of her-_

_And found herself right back on the floor again, this time screaming out in pain and struggling against the bonds. It took a moment for her to realize that something had sent electricity coursing through her body._

_“It works,” the first man said, “Keep an eye on it.”  
_

_Wanda tried to speak again. “S-Sam…”  
_

_Now she could very faintly hear his voice, yelling at the guards. “What the hell are you doing to her?”  
_

_Wanda closed her eyes and let the darkness overtake her again, hoping it could keep her from feeling what the collar was about to do._

 

_When she woke up, it was to the sight of a security camera pointed down at her. She forced herself to sit up and look right into it, a mixture of defiance and helplessness._

_Within a few minutes, she could finally hear Clint’s voice._

_“The Futurist, everyone! The Futurist is here!”_

_The speaking dimmed for a little while, but Wanda could recognize Tony’s voice, and breathed a sigh of relief. He was probably there to help them get out._

_Without warning, the collar shocked her a few times in a row. Wanda bit her lip so hard she drew blood, trying her hardest to stay quiet. She had figured out that the more sounds she made, the more they’d shock her._

_Tony was gone, and now all she could hear were the others talking to each other. Sam called out. “Wanda, can you hear me?”  
_

_She hesitated. “Y-yes.”  
_

_The collar sparked again, one, two, three times, and she didn’t say anything more after that._

 

_At some point between the random bouts of electricity, Wanda had passed out. The only reason she woke up was because she realized she was moving._

_Her arms were still pinned down too tightly, the collar was still wound around her neck. But she was moving._

_Up above, she could see two blue eyes and a surgical mask peering down at her. She tried to speak, but all that came out were little whimpers that got her another shock from the collar._

_“We just want to do some testing,” said the woman behind the mask, “The general is quite interested in you.”_

_No, no, no. All of a sudden, the memories of Hydra came flooding back, taking up all the space in her mind. Days and nights blending together, full of constant pain while her DNA changed and made her into the monster she was now._

_Wanda didn’t want any more testing. She wanted to go home._

_“Stop crying,” the woman said sharply, “Trust me, you don’t want this to hurt anymore than it will.”_

_They were in another room now, full of other people, some in masks, others in the uniforms Wanda had seen the guards wearing earlier._

_The only person who stood out was a familiar man in a suit, now leaning over her. “You look like hell, Miss Maximoff.”  
_

_“We’re ready, general.”  
_

_“Excellent,” Ross put a hand on her face, an almost gentle touch at first that suddenly turned into a heavy slap. “Let’s see what makes it tick, shall we?”_

_Wanda couldn’t even bother to keep quiet with what followed. The shock collar wasn’t the worst part of it anymore. There was no way it could be when suddenly they were sticking needles in her arms and legs, pulling so hard on her hair that some of it came out, digging knives into her skin for reasons she didn’t understand. They grabbed her, forced something down her throat that made her vomit slightly, then slammed her back down again so hard that her vision blurred._

_“Daddy,” she whispered, hoping that by some miracle he knew that she needed him right then. “Daddy, please-”_

_“Daddy’s not coming, pretty girl,” Ross said coolly, “Nobody’s coming for you.”_  
She looked up at him, tears streaming down her face. “I-I need…”  


_“It doesn’t matter what you need at this point. It matters what I need. And what you can give me. What you will give me.” He looked up and surveyed the room. At the moment, most of the others were off analyzing data or on a break. It was just him and two other guards. “Gentlemen, can you keep an eye on it for a little while until the rest of us come back?”  
_

_“Yes, sir.”_

_“See, Miss Maximoff? I’m leaving you in capable hands,” he brushed his hands off and headed towards the doorway, pausing before he left. “Enjoy yourself, gentlemen. European girls are pretty enjoyable in my experience.”  
Wanda had no idea what that could have meant, but it gave her a bad feeling. She lay there, crying quietly for a few minutes, barely listening to what the guards were saying. _

_“Go on and touch it. C’mon, she’s actually pretty.”_

_“I don’t want her to use her freaky magic stuff on me!”_

_“Haven’t you been watching? She can’t do shit right now. They got her all messed up anyway,” the first man replied. She could hear him walking closer to her. “And you heard Ross. He might as well have just said, ‘fuck her.”_

_“I guess,” the other man was close now too, walking around the table she was strapped to. “I wish I could see her rack, though.”  
_

_“Well, that actually would get you killed. Can’t have her arms free. Just touch her. I bet you anything she likes it.”  
_

_“How old is-”_

_“Who cares?”_

_Who cares?_

_Nobody was coming._

_Wanda heard the sound of metal clinking as the first guard took his belt off. Suddenly, his hands were on her bruised thighs._

_“Get off.” She spoke more loudly and clearly than she had before, but her voice still shook. Right now, Pietro’s voice was ringing in her ears, telling her that if anyone ever touched her in a way that upset her, yell, scream, do anything she could to get away._

_But she was strapped down and couldn’t do anything. They’d shock her again if she moved in a way they didn’t like. He’d be so upset with her for not listening._

_Wanda tried her hardest to tell herself that it wasn’t happening. When he was suddenly on top of her and she suddenly felt that awful, awful pain, she told herself that it was just some horrible nightmare, and she’d wake up soon, with someone there to hug and tell her it hadn’t been real, that they would never let that happen to her._

_“Daddy. Daddy.” She needed him. She needed him there._

_The man snickered. “See? She likes it. What a slut.”_

_No, no, no. Wanda wanted to scream. The man had his hand pressed over her mouth to muffle any sounds._

_It’s not real, she told herself as she closed her eyes. Not real. Maybe if she tried really hard, she could make herself go somewhere else._

_The man groaned loudly and Wanda shuddered. He finally pulled out of her, muttering something._

_“Go on,” he said, “Don’t you want to know what its like to fuck a freak?”  
She didn’t understand what they said after that, but she didn’t have to. Because the next thing Wanda knew, there were new hands all over her body, somebody new making her cry. He didn’t cover her mouth this time, but she did her best to stay quiet anyway after letting out a sob earned her a heavy handed slap across the face. _

_Please, please, please, let it not be real._

_He was rougher than the first man had been if that were even possible. His fingernails dug into her skin, his breath was hot on her face. Every now and then, he’d yank on her hair, as if he wanted her to scream just so he could slap her or shock her again. And he did._

_He was kissing her. Wanda had never been kissed before. She had always liked the idea of it, but right now, it felt so wrong. She didn’t want him to touch her at all._

_“Pull out fast. Unless you want it spawning your children.”  
It. _

_The man didn’t take his friend’s advice, and Wanda didn’t say anything about it, or how sick it made her feel. Sick._

_She felt vomit coming up her throat and did her best to choke it back, sputtering slightly. The taste in her mouth was almost unbearable._

_The second guard was off of her, getting himself back in order. “Shit, that was good.”  
_

_“Yeah, did we get fucking lucky or what? Out of everyone he could have assigned us to…”_

_Wanda needed to pass out again. She couldn’t do this anymore. She started to scream and thrash again._

_She shouldn’t have been grateful for the shock collar. But when it finally caused her to fall into darkness, she was._

 

 

So far, Dr. Samson had heard about none of what had happened in detail. Wanda couldn’t find the words to explain it, and every time she tried, she felt herself freeze up, the tears start to come again. That urgency to run away and hide forever would overtake her. 

Pietro was watching her color a pink heart. Wanda could tell he was tense, she could always tell. 

“What’s that you’re drawing, Wanda?” Dr. Samson asked genially. She didn’t reply. 

“Honey?” Clint nudged her just a little bit, causing her to look up and say, “Heart.”

“Yeah, I see that. You’re doing a great job,” he nodded, “What else did you draw?”

She bit her lip and set the crayon down. “People. But I don’t….” she didn’t know how to finish and stuttered out, “They’re not friends.”

Dr. Samson leaned forward. “Why not?”

“Because,” she shrugged. Suddenly, she couldn’t stand to look at what she had drawn anymore and pushed the sheet of paper away. “I can have friends.”

“Of course you can. Friends are pretty great, huh?” 

She nodded. “They’re coming today. And meet my brother. This is him,” she pointed at Pietro like he and Dr. Samson were just being introduced. “He can do anything.”

“Well, I just met him, but I think your brother seems pretty awesome. I bet we’re going to be buds. Right, dude?” His tone was breezy as he ignored Pietro rolling his eyes. 

“He’s here now,” Wanda said softly, “Not going. Not ever. Yes?”

Pietro finally spoke. “No, honey. I’m not going.”

“You can’t,” she stood up, suddenly shaky. “You can’t go.”

“I’m not, Wanda, I promise,” he took her hand, “Sit down, yeah?”

“I wanna be with you!” The sudden raise in her voice startled him slightly, but not as much as her suddenly grabbing onto him, curling up on his lap, and refusing to let go. Pietro instinctively wrapped his arms around her. “Shhh, baby. It’s okay, you’re okay. Look at me, pretty girl.”

Wanda immediately tensed up. “No!”

“Wanda-”

“I’m not pretty! I’m not!” She was sobbing now, not even realizing that she was pulling hard on her hair with one hand until someone-she wasn’t sure if it was Clint or Dr. Samson-was firmly holding her wrist. 

They ended early that day. Dr. Samson didn’t seem fazed in the least by anything that had happened, and only said that she’d done a good job, and that he would see her again soon. Wanda knew he was just trying to be nice. She hadn’t been good. Good girls didn’t cry. They didn’t cling to people like she did to Pietro for the entirety of the car ride back home. He kept her close, not saying anything, but just holding her. When they got home, he picked her up and took her inside, barely looking at anyone else before he took her into her room. Natasha was right behind him, arms crossed with an eyebrow raised. “You know its her naptime.”

“I did take care of her just fine before, you know.” It came out harsher than intended. Pietro lay Wanda down and pressed a kiss to her forehead. She seemed to have calmed down considerably, and was able to say clearly. “Goodnight now?”

“That’s right, baby girl.”

“You stay,” she whimpered and held her arms up, “Want my brother.”

Pietro got in next to her and cuddled her close, hoping that would get her to go down for a little while. “Brother’s got you, sweetheart. I’ve got you.”

“Don’t go.”

“I won’t. Not ever again.” 


	17. Chapter 17

After what things had been like in Sokovia, this should have been easy. But Pietro almost wished he could go back to it. Wanda had still possessed a kind of innocence she didn’t have anymore. She had smiled when he told her she was pretty and she didn’t shut down and refuse to talk for hours, even an entire day. She’d always been clingy, but there was something different now. There was an element of panic to it, like she thought that if he wasn’t there all the time, he was gone forever. 

And she sure as hell didn’t used to have random, horrifying flashbacks of being assaulted. Nightmares had made frequent appearances but not like this. Pietro looked down at his sister, tucked up under his arms, sleeping seemingly peacefully and sighed, kissing her forehead. Maybe it was his fault. He’d never taught Wanda about sex. He’d said that if anyone ever touched her in a way that made her uncomfortable that she should get away as fast as she could, but he’d hardly gotten into details, and how could he have expected that to be enough? She probably still didn’t completely understand what had happened. Had Steve, Sam or Natasha sat down with her and had that talk? Did they still even need to? 

“Should’ve talked to the fucking therapist about it,” he muttered to himself just as Wanda started to wake up. She grabbed onto his finger and didn’t say anything. 

“C’mon, sweetie.” Pietro helped her up, holding onto her until she was able to balance. “I think your friends are coming over soon.”

“I told them about you.”

“Did you tell them I’m a mean brother?” he teased her, turning her around so he could try and straighten the bows in her hair. “I want to make a good first impression on these people, you know.”

“You’re not a mean brother,” she laughed, “You’re the best one ever. You can do anything.”

“Yeah, I wish.” If he could do anything, he’d have protected her from everything evil the world had to offer. “I think you can do a lot more.”

Wanda looked down at her hands and made a face. “No! I don’t want to.” 

 That took him by surprise. “Alright, alright. Calm down, missy.” 

“I’m calm,” she mumbled, wrapping her arms around herself tightly, suddenly gasping and looking fearful. “Where’s Lorna?”

“I’m sure she’s around here somewhere,” he started to say as she started looking around the bed in a panic. “Wanda, baby, you’ve got to stop working yourself up.” 

Thankfully, Lorna had just fallen onto the floor and was found within a few seconds. Wanda clutched her to her chest, rocking back and forth. Pietro only just then realized that the stuffed animal was getting pretty bedraggled and dirty. He’d suggest throwing it in the wash just to clean it off, but he could also sense Wanda going into a panic if he actually did it. She’d been ridiculously attached to Lorna ever since he found her and brought her to what they had called “home.” 

Pietro picked his sister up and brought her out to see Natasha, who was sitting on the couch, staring into the wall somewhat distantly while a copy of _Crime and Punishment_ lay open in her lap. It was rare to see her reading anything other than current news-she said she didn’t have time for it, which was fair enough. It took a moment for Natasha to recognize that there was someone  else there, but when she did, she smiled and held her arms open. “Come here, baby girl! Are you my pretty princess today?”  
Wanda ran to her and snuggled up close. “I’m your princess.”

“Of course you are.” Natasha held her against her chest almost possessively, stroking her hair with one hand and gently patting her backside with the other, “Mommy loves you so much, baby. You’re just the sweetest thing in the whole world, aren’t you? My beautiful little one.” 

It was strange to see Natasha like this, Pietro thought as he sat down and switched on the TV. Most of the times he’d met her, she’d been a hardass, an assassin who lived up to the name she’d created for herself. Other times, in less threatening situations, she was quiet, yet managed to make her presence and worth known through dry humor and an unwavering will of steel. Natasha Romanova never had to shout in order to get her point across. 

But this was a side of her that the outside world was never going to get to see-cuddling and cooing over a girl in a princess dress. A girl who called Natasha “mommy.” A girl that the spy would do anything for and vice versa. 

 Well, it wasn’t like the Black Widow, feared killer had gotten that much love and affection before. Hell, none of them had. That must have been where the appeal of having someone to love was-even when Pietro had nothing, he’d always had that.

A knock at the door caused him to tear his attention away from whatever trashy reality show was on. God, American broadcasting really sucked. 

“My friends are here!” Wanda jumped up and grabbed his hand. “Remember?”

“No, I don’t remember.  It’s not like you’ve talked about them nonstop,” he said lightly. In truth, it did him a lot of good to hear her say “my friends.” Wanda had obviously never related to other girls or been able to hang out with them. Finding other people who were _like_ her was a dream come true. 

Well, a dream come true for his sister at least. Pietro started thinking it was slightly less so for him when the door opened and a girl with dark hair in braids and a Tinkerbell shirt came running in shouting, “Is he here? Can I see him? Is your brother here, Wanda?”

“Skye, calm down,” a woman who Pietro assumed acted as her mother admonished, “Indoor voice, remember?”

“My voice indoors is an indoors voice,” she huffed, putting her hands on her hips. 

“Fine. _Quiet_ voice,” the woman smiled and gave Natasha a brief hug, “Hey, Nat. How’s it going?”

“It’s…going,” she laughed, “Pietro, this is Agent Melinda May. She’s saved my ass more than a few times. And she’s a mom to this lovely bunch.” 

“Bunch of headaches,” Melinda said lightly, “They’ve been wreaking havoc all day. It’s nice to meet you, Pietro. I’m sure you want to meet Phil.” 

“The…the guy who was in Tahitit before me?” 

“Yep,” she looked towards the doorway and motioned the man in question forward. Pietro immediately thought that Phil looked like a stereotypical father-not in a bad way, but in a way that was comforting. He was a gentle presence, wearing a T-shirt that read _#1 Dad_ and hands on the shoulders of two people who Pietro could only assume were Jemma and Leo. The two of them ran forward and hugged Wanda hello while Phil extended his hand to Pietro. “You look pretty good for a guy who just came back from the dead.” 

“I have had a little time to adjust.” Pietro looked him up and down, trying to picture him in the same place he had been for a year. “But thank you.” 

“How _are_ you adjusting so far? Land of the living treating you well?” 

Pietro couldn’t really say yes. Wanda was hurting from what happened at the Raft, and when she was hurting, he did too. It had always been that way, one of them feeling something even deeper than empathy for the other. A twin thing, as people liked to put it. He shrugged in a somewhat noncommittal manner and mumbled what he hoped came out as, “Great.” 

“Pietro,” Wanda tugged on his hand, “Do you wanna meet my friends?”

Pietro did, but even if he didn’t, he didn’t have much of a choice in the matter. The same girl from before, Skye, ran forward and started energetically shaking his hand. “Hi, Wanda’s brother! I’m Skye and I can count to infinity and do a cartwheel and one time I put three whole cookies in my mouth! Nice to meet you.”

He couldn’t help but laugh. “I think that must be a record. It’s nice to meet you too.” 

“And this is my brother and sister,” Skye pointed to them, “They’re nice.” 

Jemma seemed to be the most reserved, and spoke in a much softer voice when she introduced herself. Leo looked a little nervous. He was smaller than Pietro in both height and build, wavering a little when he stood in front of him and said, “I saw a picture of you once.”

“Too bad that was your first impression of me. I’m not at all photogenic.” 

That made him crack a smile. “You looked nice. Still do. Wanda told us lots about you too. Are you older?”

“Just be twelve minutes. Are you the oldest too?”

He nodded. “Skye’s the baby. Jemma’s in the middle.”

“I’m not a baby,” Skye stuck her tongue out at him. “Can I ask a question? Mommy and Daddy said not to swarm you and not too many things, but I gotta know. How come you have silver hair?”

“Oh,” Pietro instinctively reached up to touch it. “Uh…it used to be brown, but it changed during the experiments. The ones that made me fast. I guess it was a side effect.”

“I like it,” she said decidedly, “It’s pretty.” 

Pietro had never thought of his hair as pretty. In fact, he was ashamed to admit it, but he had cried when he first saw it. Not full on sobbing, but he had definitely cried. He blamed it on the stress of the experiments, driving his emotional levels up, down and through loops like a rollercoaster. At the time, when he had been away from his twin for so long, it seemed like just another way of separating them. They didn’t look like twins anymore. They didn’t even look like siblings-and it was all because of the stupid hair. 

Somehow, Skye saying that she thought it was pretty made it a little less horrible in the moment. There was one more person who didn’t think he looked like a total freak. 

Wanda took the other kids off to play, going almost completely without stuttering or stopping when she talked. Pietro watched her go with more than a little bit of pride. 

“It’s so great that the kids could meet your sister,” Phil told him, “They just love her.”

“She loves them too. She doesn’t stop talking about them, actually,” he said slowly, “Thank you, Phil.” 

“For what?”

He shrugged. “You know. Being nice to her.”

“You don’t have to thank me for basic human decency, kid. Even though I understand you didn’t really experience a lot of it before. And I’m sorry for that.”

“Everyone here has had it rough,” Pietro said quietly, “I try not to complain.”

Phil patted his shoulder. “Kid, take it from me-you don’t want to get ‘not complaining’ mixed up with never talking about the shit you’ve gone through. Won’t do you any good in the end.” 

“I hope that doesn’t mean I have to see a psychologist too. I saw enough of that today.” He still couldn’t get past the whole “talking to a total stranger about your feelings,” thing. 

Phil gave him a sympathetic look. “Wanda sees a therapist, doesn’t she?”

Pietro stiffened. “Yes. Do…do you know what-”

“Steve told me what happened on the Raft. I’m very sorry that happened to her. Truly. That is a disgusting crime.” He looked like he meant it, which made Pietro slightly less uncomfortable.

“I’m sure having you here is going to help her heal.”

“Nothing’s going to fix what happened.”

“But you can help how she deals with it,” he said gently, “I think you’ve got plenty to deal with yourself too.”

Pietro couldn’t argue with that. He wasn’t quite sure what to say until suddenly, it dawned on him. “Do you know anyone who might have worked on The Raft?”

“Me? I honestly don’t know.”

“Well, do you know anybody who could get a copy of the records showing who _was_ working there at the time?” Pietro knew it was stupid, asking him all this, but he couldn’t bring himself to care.

“I’m sure I do, or Melinda does,” he said carefully. “Pietro…what are you planning on doing?”

“I need the names. And I need to know who did it.”

“I might be able to do that for you if you would tell me what you’re going to do with it.”

Silence. 

That was all the answer Phil needed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wow another shitty chapter *hides* i'm sorry.


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The word slut is used a few times in this chapter, in case that bugs you.   
> I want to say again guys, your reviews really mean the world to me and I'm so fucking grateful and you really make me happy with them and just...thank you a million times.

“You look pretty.”

“No, I don’t.” 

Jemma frowned and reached over to run her hand through Wanda’s hair, noticing the other girl stiffen slightly. “You do look pretty..” 

“No.” Wanda drew her knees up to her chest. It was just the two of them in her room late at night, both with wet hair and nightgowns after taking a bath. Skye had fallen asleep and Leo was following Pietro around. He already liked him a lot in the couple weeks that they had gotten to know each other. Phil and May had been over to visit frequently while they all figured things out-how to handle going forward with Ross, Pietro trying to adjust to being alive again, what things would look like now that they were making amends with Tony. 

At the very least, it was just good to have friends around. 

“Jemma?” Wanda asked finally, “Do you ever feel…bad?”

“Feel bad like…feel sick?” 

She shook her head. “Like a bad girl.” 

“Oh.” That took her by surprise a little bit. “No. I mean, sometimes, but I try to be good. And that’s what matters, I think. I don’t feel like a bad girl all the time.” 

“Oh.” Wanda looked a bit relieved and a little saddened at the same time. “I’m glad you don’t, Jemma. You’re not bad anyway.” 

“You don’t feel like that, do you?” Jemma moved closer to her and wondered if Wanda saying this had anything to do with the scars on her arms. In the bath she had noticed them and gently asked if it hurt. Wanda had shaken her head no and said that they didn’t, not too badly.

Jemma hadn’t asked where they came from. She already knew. 

“You’re not a bad girl,” she said finally, “You’re good, Wanda. Really good, okay? I promise.” 

She nodded slowly, wearing an expression that clearly said she didn’t believe it. “I just…”

“What?” Jemma took her hand. “What is it?”

Wanda didn’t say anything at first, and when she spoke, it was in a whisper. “I’m afraid they won’t want me.” 

“Steve and Natasha?”

“And my brother. And Clint and Scott and…” she sniffled a little, “A-and you. I don’t feel _good_. I think I’m a bad thing.” 

Before she could say anything else, Phil walked in and smiled at the two of them. “Time to go, honey. Say goodbye now.”

Jemma leaned forward and hugged Wanda tight, whispering. “I won’t not want you. Not ever.” 

“Promise?”

“I promise. You’re a good girl. You are,” she got up and smiled, “We get to play again soon.”

“Good,” she smiled a little. “You’re a princess, Jemma. Better than Elsa.”

“Really?” 

“Really.” 

Jemma could tell that Wanda really did mean it when she said that. 

—————————-

“You are little miss fussy tonight, aren’t you? Come on, baby,” Pietro brushed some hair out of her face, looking down at his sister, cradled in his arms and showing no signs of drifting off anytime soon. “Please settle down for me.” 

_I’m trying. I’m trying._

“I can’t.”

“I know you can. Just try and breathe. You’re stressing yourself out again.” 

Wanda knew that was true, but she couldn’t help it. It was like her whole body would seize up as her mind filled with images of her past and pictures of what could go wrong in her future. A long list of reasons to worry constantly, to not be able to sleep. 

Nobody was going to love her anymore. She was bad. She was sick and wrong and dirty. Wanda couldn’t stop thinking about it. She did her best not to cry, but she just couldn’t bring herself to relax. She whimpered and clung to her brother, shaking like a leaf while he kissed her forehead and rocked her back and forth, a motion that eventually did start to soothe her a little bit. Just a little.

Pietro lay her down and pulled her against his chest, keeping one hand on the small of her back. “You’re still squirming. Do you need something to calm down?”   
Wanda shook her head. Truthfully, she felt like she had to go to the bathroom-she just knew she would panic if she got up and left him for even a second, and even if she had a pull up on, having another accident would just make her hate herself even more. Her heart was beating fast and she felt like her chest was going to seize up. “I just can’t. I can’t. I can’t. I’m sorry. Pietro, I want Mommy.” 

 _“_ Mommy’s asleep right now, honey,” he stroked her hair, “You can see her in the morning, okay?”

“What if she leaves?”

“She’s not going to leave. Nobody’s leaving. Okay?”

“She can’t,” she whispered, holding onto him possessively. “I don’t want Mommy to go. I don’t want you to go a way. Don’t. Don’t go.” 

“I won’t. I’m not leaving you. I promise.”

She had to hear that another few times before she settled down enough to stop whimpering and moving around. Pietro fell asleep quickly, but Wanda stayed wide awake. 

He had to stay. He couldn’t leave, and she knew that he would if he had seen what had happened at the Raft. He’d be so disgusted by her.

Wanda got out of bed, shivering and doing her best to stay quiet as she crept out of the room and darted down to where Clint was staying. She could see light flooding through the crack at the bottom of the door, telling her he was still awake. She knocked and opened the door. 

Clint was sitting in bed, flipping through a book when he looked up at her concernedly. “Hey, princess. You should be in bed. Where’s your brother?”

Wanda mumbled something, wrapping her arms around herself tightly. Clint frowned and got up. “Wanda? What’s going on, sweetie?” 

It took a few seconds but she finally blurted it out. “Am I a slut?” 

She regretted saying it as soon as the words left her mouth. Clint went pale and his jaw dropped. “Where the _hell_ did you hear that?” 

She stepped back. “I-I-”

“No, you tell me right now.” He put his hands on her shoulders and looked into her eyes. “ _Now,_ Wanda.” 

She shook her head. “I don’t want to. But am I?”

“No!” He raised his voice slightly, “And I don’t ever want to hear you talk about yourself that way ever again, do you understand me? Your brother would flip out if he heard!” 

Well, it was a good thing she hadn’t asked Pietro then. Wanda rubbed her eyes, trying and failing to hold back tears. “I’m s-sorry! I didn’t wanna make you mad!”

“Sweetheart.” His eyes softened as he pulled her into a hug. “I’m not mad at _you_. I’m mad that someone put that idea in your head. Can you tell me where you heard that?”

She shook her head again right as the door opened once more and she heard Natasha saying, “What’s going on?”

“Nothing,” Clint said, “I mean, something, it’s just…Wanda, how about you sleep in my room tonight? Go get in bed.” 

She nodded and went to curl up under the blankets with Lorna in her arms. Clint stepped into the hall with Natasha, trying to keep his voice low. “She just asked me if I thought she was a-a slut. Where the hell did that come from?”

Natasha blanched. “She asked you what?”

“You heard me. And she wouldn’t tell me where she picked it up from either. Fan-freaking-tastic,” he sighed, “Even though I’m pretty sure I already know.”

“Well, she won’t talk about the Raft. At all.  So if that is where she heard it, I guess it makes sense that she wouldn’t say.” 

“You really need to figure out who it was.”

“I know. I’m trying,” she sighed, “I am a little worried about what Pietro will do if he knows who did it, though.”

“You don’t think he’d…you know?”  
“I think that in the right frame of mind he could,” Natasha said slowly, “Anyone can. Trust me, I know. People will do anything for love.” 

“Would you?”

She shrugged. “I’d like to, I’ll give you that much. But I’d also rather see whoever did it rot for a long time in prison.”

“Do you think we should tell him? What she said, I mean.” 

Natasha considered it. “Yeah, probably. Just when she’s not around. And I’ll talk to Dr. Samson about it too. If she did hear that on the Raft, it’s one of the closest things we’ve gotten out of her as far as specifics go.”

“Do you think she even knows what it means?”

“I’m sure she has an idea,” she sighed, “Let me go say goodnight to her.”

“Steve and Sam are gonna be pissed.”

It was only then that he saw the ice in her eyes. “I know I am.” 

Wanda hadn’t fallen asleep yet. She reached up to Natasha and hid her face in her chest. “Mommy. Mommy.”

“Shhh, I know, baby,” Natasha soothed her, “Mommy’s here.”

“I’m sorry.”

“No, don’t be sorry. It’s not your fault. It’s okay, you’re not in trouble.”

“I was bad,” she pulled away. “I was so bad.”

“No, no you weren’t. Not at all,” Natasha whispered, “You’re good, baby girl. You’re so good.”

Wanda started full on sobbing. “You’re not gonna love me anymore! I know you’re not, and it’s all my fault!”

She stiffened. “Wanda, I will always, _always_ love you so very much. You’re my baby. How could I not? I don’t want you to feel like I would stop taking care of you because somebody else hurt you.”

“But it was my fault,” she cried, “I know it was.”

“Oh, малютка. That’s not true. What happened was…you couldn’t have done anything. Some very bad people hurt you, and it was out of your hands. I’m so sorry that it happened. I wish I had been there to protect you.”

 She should have been there, she told herself. Some mother she turned out to be. Parents were supposed to protect their children and she’d just failed at it. 

Natasha held her little girl close in her arms until she fell asleep, breathing a sigh of relief when she couldn’t hear her cries anymore. 

 

    ————————————

“I want up, Daddy. Please?” 

Steve set his coffee down for a moment, then reached down to where Wanda was sitting on the floor to pull her into his lap. She snuggled against his chest, sucking her thumb again. Nobody had told him what had happened last night, what she had said, and Wanda hoped that maybe Clint and Natasha would just forget about it. She didn’t want to upset Steve too.

“Did you have bad dreams last night, ladybug?” Steve asked her softly, “I know you were up late.”

She shook her head. “Couldn’t sleep. Scary.”

“Were you scared of the dark? There’s nothing there to be afraid of.” 

There was plenty, but Wanda didn’t say that. She closed her eyes and pressed herself closer against him, hoping it would make her feel safer. Steve rocked her gently, one hand patting her back. He kissed the top of her head and whispered, “I love you, sweetie.”

“Love you too,” she said back as quietly as she could. “Daddy. Mine.”

Steve looked up at Natasha and asked in a hushed voice, “How old do you think she is right now?”

“Two or three. Probably closer to two,” she said, “Pietro might know. I should go get him.” She stood up right as a knock at the front door caused her to tense up. “Did you invite anyone over?”

He shook his head. “Nope.” 

Natasha placed a hand on her hip where she probably had a gun hidden and walked forward carefully. “Who is it?”

“Just me. I promise I’m not here to kill you.”

She breathed a sigh of relief and swung the door open. “Jesus, Tony. Give us some warning next time you want to drop by.”

“Yeah, sorry about that. I just thought you should know that I got a call from General Ross today,” Tony took his sunglasses off and folded them up, speaking under his breath. “He wants her back.”

“Who?”

“Wanda.”

Natasha felt her temper flare up. “Well, he can’t have her. Why the hell would he even ask?”

“I guess because she’s…as he put it, a danger to herself and others, he wants her to be placed in a secure location. The Raft. Also, Steve kinda broke them out, so I guess it makes sense that he’d want at least one of them.”

“Tell him to take the Accords and shove them up his ass,” Natasha snapped. “And if you’re here to take her back for him-”

Tony looked shocked. “What? No. Hell no. I just thought you guys should know what he’s going to try to do. Look, you know him. He’s used to getting what he wants. He made Bruce’s life a living hell for years, and if he was here, he’d probably want him in the Raft too.”

“I am not letting that son of a bitch anywhere near her,” Natasha said coolly, “You should talk to the others about this too. Come on in.”

“Thanks,” Tony stepped forward, noticing Steve and Wanda sitting across the room, seemingly oblivious to the conversation that had just taken place. Natasha moved to shut the door, then stopped short when she realized that Tony hadn’t come alone. Vision had been standing out of sight.

“You brought him?” she threw Tony a look. 

“He wanted to come,” he shrugged. 

“What about Rhodey?”

“He’s got his own shit to deal with. The spinal injury…he wants to try and fly again.”

“Of course he does.”

“I told him it was stupid and reckless.”

“Of course you did.”

“He’s not listening.” 

This didn’t surprise Natasha at all. “If I know anything about James Rhodes, is that he’s stubborn as hell and nothing you say to him is going to change that. If he wants to fly again, Tony, he’s going to fly again.”

“He’s trying his best. Physical therapy takes a long time,” he sighed, “He’d like to see you guys. Come over sometime.”

Natasha had to wonder if things were awkward between Rhodey and Vision, but didn’t say anything about it. She turned and cleared her throat. “Steve, look who’s here.”

He glanced up. “Oh. Tony. Hey. Vision.”

Wanda practically fell out of his lap. She peered over Steve’s shoulder at the android, looking him up and down almost suspiciously. Vision stepped forward towards her. “Hello, Wanda.”

“Hi.”

“I’ve missed you.”

“I can write my name now. And I know ABCs. All them.”   

He nodded slowly. “You’re very smart. I’ve always known it.”

Wanda hid her face in Steve’s shoulder. He stood up and set her down slowly, but immediately picked her up again when she made a panicked little noise and grabbed at his legs. “Okay, okay, baby girl. Daddy’s got you.” 

Vision looked mildly amused. “I see learning to write did nothing to assist with her emotional maturity.”

Steve glared at him. “Well, we didn’t expect it to.”

“Well, you might want to get in all the time together you have while there’s still a chance. You might not have much of it left.”


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you again for all the nice comments guys. They mean so much to me and I just have the best readers ever. I don't deserve you lovely people. <3

One, two, three, four. Green, red, blue, red. 

“Green,” Wanda whispered to herself, stacking another block on top of the four she already had set out. “Green.” 

It was a good distraction from the fact that Pietro was having a conversation with Tony outside that she hadn’t been invited to. Wanda hated not knowing what was happening to her brother. What if something bad had happened and the others just didn’t want her to know about it?

“Mommy,” she said almost desperately, looking up at Natasha, sitting on the couch, rubbing her forehead. “Mommy, what are they talking about?”

“Never mind, you.” Natasha leaned down and pulled Wanda to her feet, then into her lap, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. “Don’t worry about it.”

“He’s sick.”

“No, baby. Nobody’s sick.”

“He has to leave again.”

“No. I promise, everything’s okay,” she assured her, “Right, Vision?” 

The android hadn’t really done much in the course of his visit other than scope the house like it was hiding something huge. Natasha could have told him that the only thing in the house they were currently missing was one of her guns and a pacifier, but she kept her mouth shut. Steve seemed to have more of a dislike towards Vision than she did, and that was probably because Wanda used to have a weird little crush on him. 

“Everything’s fine,” Vision said serenely, leaning back in the chair he was currently occupying. “Mr. Stark simply wished to meet with your brother.”

“Pietro can run very fast,” Wanda told him.

“I’m sure he can.”

“He can do anything. Anything. He’s my brother.”

Vision gave Natasha a look while he replied, “I wouldn’t exactly count on that, Wanda. How have you been, lately?”

She shrugged and looked towards the doorway, where she could very vaguely hear Tony and Pietro’s voices. “Good. I love my brother. I have my Lorna. Wanna see?” Without waiting for an answer, she slid off Natasha’s lap and picked up Lorna off the floor where she was situated next to the block tower. “Remember?”

Vision didn’t look very impressed. “I remember that it is very important to you. Perhaps too important, correct?”  
Wanda didn’t seem to comprehend that last bit. “You hold her?”

“Another time,” he shook his head, “You don’t look well, Wanda. You’re tired.”

She frowned and put a hand on her forehead. She felt almost clammy, not well at all. He was right, she was tired. Last night she had been up crying again. 

“Tired,” she repeated in a mumble. Her shaky hands grabbed the soft, yellow fabric of her skirt in fists. It felt comforting, almost, even if she could feel her nails digging into her palms. Maybe that was a comfort too. “Tired. I go goodnight now.”

“I am going to sleep now,” he corrected her. 

“Oh, that’s just how she says it,” Natasha cut in, sounding slightly annoyed, “It’s not important for her to have perfect grammar. Come here, my pretty girl. Come to Mommy.” 

Wanda was more than happy to curl up in Natasha’s arms once again, this time hiding her face away in her shoulder with her eyes closed. After a few minutes, she heard Clint walk in and say, “I just talked to Scott.”

“And?”

“He said that he’s not _too_ worried, but he wants Cassie to go into hiding with his ex and her stepfather for a little while in case someone wants to use them as…leverage.”

“Good plan,” she nodded. “Steve and Sam?”

“Another private talk,” he sighed, sitting down next to her. “Maybe you should join them.”

She rolled her eyes. “Sure, Barton.” Natasha tended to internalize her feelings more than she talked about them. Sure, she’d gotten better at it, but for the most part, she preferred to think things through on her own. “Wanda, do you want to go play in your room?”

She shook her head. “Want Mommy. Stay here.”

“That’s fine, sweetheart. You can stay with me.” 

Wanda turned around and looked at Vision. “Can you sing spider?”

“I wasn’t aware that was a song.” There was something in his tone that was almost cold and calculating, even for a robot.

“It is a song,” Natasha explained, starting to wonder exactly what Vision had done with Wanda all the times they’d been alone and he’d babysat her. “Itsy Bitsy Spider.”

“You take parenting in stride, Miss Romanov.”

“I…do my best,” she turned to glance at Clint for a moment, “I have a lot of help. You were pretty helpful too, Vision. Wanda really likes to see you. Right, sweetie?” 

She nodded, sitting on the floor at Natasha’s feet with her thumb in her mouth, leaning against her leg. Natasha reached down and petted her hair gently. “Mommy will sing to you later on, baby girl. Don’t bite your thumb.” 

“M’not,” she mumbled, “Promise. Don’t go. Where’s…my brother. Pietro. He’s gone.” 

Natasha shook her head. “No, no, baby. He’s just talking to Tony, remember? He’s not leaving. He’s completely safe.” The sooner that Dr. Samson started helping her deal with the separation anxiety, the better. 

Clint jumped slightly as the door slammed and Pietro stalked back in. Natasha hadn’t really seen him mad all that much before, but she could tell that he was livid. Tony was close behind him.

“Look, I know that it doesn’t look good, but we’ve dealt with this guy before. Granted, he ended up becoming the secretary of state and completely fucking up our lives, but still. We’ve dealt with him.”

“Oh, that’s comforting,” Pietro said, sarcasm dripping from his voice. 

“He knows your sister could kick his ass ten different ways if she wanted to! He’s not gonna do something-” he stopped short. “Never mind. Hey, Clint.” 

“Futurist.” 

Natasha shot him a death glare. “Why don’t you take the baby and go watch a movie?”

“She probably doesn’t want to.” 

 _“Barton.”_ She could get anyone to back off using that tone. 

He sighed, grabbed his laptop, and held Wanda’s hand. “C’mon, baby girl.” 

She stumbled a little trying to keep up with him. “How come Vision and Tony came?”

“I don’t know. They just wanted to talk about boring grown up stuff-we don’t need to worry about any of that, right?” He took her into his room and set her on the bed. Netflix had a few shows that could occupy her for a little while, even if he was getting tired of My Little Pony. Clint got up, but stopped when she cried out from her spot on the bed and made grabby hands towards him.

He shushed her and smoothed her hair back. “It’s okay, princess. I’m just going to go get you something to drink. I should probably change you too, or I’m going to have a  very fussy girl on my hands, huh?”

She sniffled. “Want you.”

“I know, I know. I’m going to be right back.” He kissed her forehead and tried to make quick work of everything, although he did pause when he went into the kitchen to listen to Vision and Pietro talking. Pietro seemed to be pretty unaware of everything that had happened between Wanda and the android. If he had been, Clint was pretty sure he wouldn’t be making an effort to be quite as friendly. 

Wanda stayed quiet when he changed her, keeping her eyes up on the ceiling and sucking on her thumb. When he finished and finally cuddled her close again, she breathed a sigh of relief. 

“Here,” he reached over and picked up the sippy cup he’d filled with apple juice and put it in her hands. “There you go, sweetheart. Do you want me to help you?”

Wanda seemed to be getting to a point she sometimes reached where she had no idea what she wanted or needed other than to be held. Clint picked up on it pretty quickly and shifted her so she was close to his chest and he could help her drink. Her body was shaking a little bit again. 

“It’s okay,” he whispered to her, “You’re okay.”

She didn’t answer with words, just little whimpers and choked out cries. She could sense that something was wrong, Clint could tell. He rocked her back and forth, trying to soothe her. “Shhh. I’ve got you.”

She finally managed to get an attempt at a coherent sentence out. “I-I love you.” 

“Oh, princess. I love you too.” He could feel his heart start to ache. “Try to stay calm for me. Deep breaths.” 

Wanda shuddered. “Doesn’t feel good.”

“Where?”

“Everywhere.” 

He put a hand on her forehead. “You don’t feel warm, honey. Do you feel bad in another way?” 

“Don’t know,” she mumbled, coughing a little as she tried to swallow a sip.  “I feel wrong.”

Clint remembered their conversation about the slut issue, and held her a little closer. “You’re not _wrong_. Understand? There is nothing wrong with you. You’re not a bad girl, you’re not a…just don’t think that about yourself, okay? You shouldn’t have to feel that way.”

“But I do.” Wanda looked up at him, “I do.” 

Before he could say anything, Natasha finally came in. “Do you want to come say bye, sweetheart?” 

She nodded, letting Clint help her to her feet. She rubbed her eyes with her fists a little too hard and quivered when she walked. Vision was standing by the doorway, and leaned down a little when he saw her, speaking quietly so the others couldn’t hear. “Are you aware of why we came today?”

She shook her head. “Uh-uh.” 

“Ah. Well, I suppose they wouldn’t bother with letting you know,” he took one of her hands for a moment. Wanda didn’t like it and felt the immediate urge to pull hers back. He spoke sternly to her, said, “look at me,” and pierced her gaze when she obeyed. 

“You want to be a good person, don’t you?”

Wanda nodded. 

“You want to make sure everyone is safe.”

“Yes.” More than anything. 

“I’m sure you’d do anything to make that happen. Even if it ended up meaning you had to leave home for a little while. You would understand, wouldn’t you?”

She cocked her head, confused. “I gotta leave? Is Mommy and Daddy coming? And Pietro and Sam and Clint?”

“Not quite…yet,” he straightened up, “Can you keep this conversation between us, Wanda? It would make you a very good girl if you did.” 

“Oh, yes.”An emphatic yes. 

“I knew you could be helpful.” He gave her one final wave before saying goodbye to the others and following Tony out. Wanda ran back to Natasha and hugged her tight, suddenly wanting to beg her not to make her leave. 

“I wanna stay,” she whispered, “I wanna stay with you.” 

“Don’t cry, sweetheart,” Natasha kissed the top of her head. “You can stay with Mommy as long as you want.” 

Usually, Wanda trusted what Natasha said, believed it and took it was truth right away. Maybe she just didn’t know yet that her daughter might have to go away.


	20. Chapter 20

Wanda could think of a total of three times she’d been afraid of Vision, really afraid. There was when he had held her at the compound, and before that, when he walked into her room unannounced and didn’t leave. After a little while, she weaned off on trying to tell him no, it didn’t seem to make much of a difference. 

The third time had been when he told her about leaving. She didn’t want to go anywhere. 

Pietro could always sense when something was bothering her, and he noticed that she seemed down for a few days after Vision and Tony had visited. When getting her ready one morning, he put a hand on her forehead and frowned. “You don’t feel warm. Is there something wrong?”

She shook her head no. 

“Wanda, you can tell me, sweetheart. You know you can tell me anything.” 

“I know.” She _could_ tell him, but Vision was smart and grownup, and he’d told her not to mention it-that must mean it should be a secret. Pietro would understand. He’d be proud of her that she had listened.

Sam had woken up screaming the previous night, and was still asleep by eleven. Wanda crept into his room, making sure to be quiet at first, then tapping him on the shoulder. “Sam.”

It took a few moments, but he eventually yawned and opened his eyes. He rested back on his elbows, mumbling, “What time is it?”

“Two ones.” 

“You should’ve gotten me up earlier.” 

“Daddy wanted you to sleep more. But he said you’d be annoyed at him if he didn’t wake you up by now.” Wanda leaned over and kissed his forehead. “We made waffles. Good morning.”

“Good morning to you too, sunshine,” he chuckled, leaning up to give her a hug. “You look very nice today.” 

“Thank you. Do you feel better?”

Something like a shadow passed over his face. “I…I’m glad that the night’s over, that’s all. You know that memories can be very hard to deal with sometimes, right?”

She nodded, knowing exactly what he meant. “Did Daddy give you hugs?”

“As a matter of fact he did. It was very helpful. Steve gives great hugs when you need them. Where is he right now?”

She climbed up on the bed next to him. “Talking on phone. To Sharon.” 

They owed a hell of a lot to Sharon. She had been the one who had gotten them a place to stay and helped them fly underneath the radar after the incident with the accords had taken place, and she called on occasion to check up on how things were. Wanda adored her. “Maybe she’s gonna come say hello.” 

“Maybe she will.” Sam got up out of bed slowly, stretching a little as he did so. 

“Hello is the first thing you say to a new friend.” 

He laughed, “That’s right, sweetheart. What do we say when we’re done seeing friends?”

“Goodbye!” She waved as if to demonstrate, “See you soon! And you can give hugs and kisses too.” 

Sam picked her up and let her nuzzle his shoulder. “Very good. I always like your hugs and kisses. Now come on, I’m taking you to Dr. Samson today.”

She recoiled slightly at that, sticking her lower lip out. “I don’t wanna go.” 

“Wanda. You have to.”

“ _You_ don’t go to therapy.”

Sam sighed. “That’s because I…I don’t know.” Steve had told him he needed to see someone and deep down, he knew that the man was right. “I don’t have time. I’ll see someone eventually.”

Wanda didn’t look like she believed that, but she knew when to drop things. Instead of bringing it up again, she just mumbled. “Let’s stay home.”

“Sorry, princess, but it’s just something you’re going to have to do today. I know it’s not a lot of fun, but remember, you don’t have to say or do anything that makes you uncomfortable. Dr. Samson is nice too, isn’t he?”

She nodded just a little bit. “Not scary.”

“Of course not.” He set her down and held her hand as he walked out of the room. Steve was still on the phone, speaking over the sound of the show Natasha, Pietro and Clint were watching. 

“Yeah, I’ll do that. Thanks, Sharon. Good luck. I’ll call you soon,” he hung up and smiled at Sam, kissing him for a brief moment. “Good morning, early riser.” 

“Hilarious,” he rolled his eyes as he picked up a cup of coffee sitting on the counter. “How’s Lucky Thirteen?”

“Good. She just wanted to check on how thing were going.” Steve made sure Wanda was out of earshot before he said in a low voice. “She met with Ross. I don’t think he really knows that we’re still in contact and that kind of thing.”

“Did she get anything out of him? What about what he told Tony?”

“Nothing, but she said she’ll keep us posted. Sam, maybe you should…”

By the look on his face, he could tell what he was about to say. “Leave? Not a chance. It’s not even me he’s after.” 

“You don’t know that! Scott put his family in hiding for a reason. This man is _ruthless_ , and I swear to God, I am not going to lose you because of him.” 

Sam met his eyes. “You’re right. You’re not. I’m going to be fine, Rogers, I promise. But I’m not going anywhere either. We can’t split up, not now. I mean, we just tried and look how great that turned out.” 

Steve couldn’t help but laugh at that, still seeming on the verge of insisting that Sam go somewhere safe. The knowledge however, that nothing he was going to say was really going to change his mind on this when it came down to it, won over. 

 

Pietro could sense a meltdown coming on when Wanda had to leave, and nearly decided to go at the last minute if Sam hadn’t insisted to him that he could handle it with the help of Clint, and that he should stay home. The previous night hadn’t been all that great for Pietro either, since he had spent the first part of it wracked with nightmares and memories of being shot at by Ultron. After he had managed to calm down the hysterics with the help of Natasha and finally got to bed, Wanda woke up screaming bloody murder. It had taken about an hour of cuddling and lullabies to soothe her back to sleep. After all of that, Pietro really wasn’t up to going out at the moment. 

“I need to get out anyways,” Clint said before they left, “Swing by the store and pick a few things up. We’ll see you later.”

It was cold and windy outside, and, Wanda stuck close between Sam and Clint, making sure that Lorna was tucked safely under her coat. She zoned out a little on the car ride over, barely registering the songs playing on the radio, or the conversation the two men in the front seats were having. Something about Sharon. By the time they got to Dr. Samson’s office, she didn’t feel well at all, but chose to keep her mouth shut about it. She alternated between clinging to Sam and Clint though, not doing much playing or talking during the session that day.

“You’re quiet today Wanda,” Dr. Samson observed. “Do you just not feel like talking again?”

In Clint’s arms, she shrugged. “Lorna says hi.”

“You can tell her I’m saying hi right back. Maybe Lorna feels like talking today.”

She considered that. “She’s sick. She needs medicine. I’m sick too, but different.”

Dr. Samson wrote something down. “Different how?”

“She needs medicine. I can’t have it. I’m bad. I’m a bad girl,” her voice quivered slightly. “I-I’m not a good girl. I want my brother.” 

“I know,” he said sympathetically, “I know you love your brother. I think that’s great. Do you think you can tell me why you feel that you’re a bad girl?”

Wanda shook her head so emphatically that her pigtails almost hit Clint in the face. “No, thank you.” 

“That’s okay. You don’t have to talk about anything you don’t feel comfortable with,” he smiled gently. “Do you need to sit with Clint a little while longer? That’s okay too.” 

Wanda was relieved to hear it. This time, she nodded yes. 

Not much else happened during the session, which was why it surprised all of them when Dr. Samson stood up at the end and said that he felt they were “making progress.” While he talked to Sam alone, the way he always did one of the adults after a session, Clint took Wanda to wait in the lobby. She held on tight to his hand.

“Hey, sweetie,” he said suddenly, “Do you mind if I just go to the restroom really quickly? I promise I won’t be long.” 

Wanda was slightly horrified at the thought of being alone in public, but not wanting to make a fuss, she nodded and let go of his hand. It would be okay. Sam would be out in just a few minutes. She pressed her legs together and rocked back and forth on her heels nervously. Already, she could feel the anxiety setting in, the complete and utter fear of being alone-

Someone was tapping on her shoulder, and it definitely wasn’t Sam or Clint. She turned around, eyes wide. “Vision?”

“I didn’t mean to startle you,” he said serenely. “I remember hearing that you come here to meet with a doctor and I thought I’d say hello.”

Wanda thought this was very strange, but didn’t want to be rude. She just nodded and sucked on her thumb to try and soothe her anxiety. “Clint and Sam are coming.”

Vision grabbed her wrist and took her thumb out of her mouth. “Don’t do that. Wanda, we need to be fast. Remember what I said about how you might need to leave?”

It was like her worst fears were coming true. She swallowed hard and nodded .”Yes.”

“Well, we have to do that right now,” he said quietly, “You kept our secret, didn’t you? You were a good girl?”

She nodded again. 

“I need you to be good again and come with me. You don’t want to be bad, do you?”

Wanda felt tears coming on. “N-no, but-”

“Wanda, bad girls are punished in terrible ways.” There was something in the way he was speaking that was new and terrifying, yet eerily similar to the way it had always been. “That’s what will happen to you if you don’t listen. I thought you wanted to help.”

She _did_ want to help, that much was true. And yes, Pietro and Natasha and Steve and everyone else had told her a million times not to go with strangers. 

But Vision wasn’t a stranger. 

Still slightly confused, Wanda took his hand and let him lead her out the door. 


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As a warning, Vision and Wanda's conversation probably has the potential to squick people out at the very least. There's also a threat of spanking, in case that makes you uncomfortable. 
> 
> Thank you again for all your reviews, guys. <3 They really make my day

“We just need to work on getting her to talk about exactly what happened so she can work through it. But I can tell she’s opening up. Keep at it,” Dr. Samson smiled at Sam kindly, “I’ll see you soon.” 

“Thanks so much.” Sam said gratefully, making note of everything so he could fill in Pietro, Natasha and Steve when he got home. They’d be glad to know that it had all gone well. He carefully shut the door to the office behind him as he left and walked out into the waiting room, sending a quick text to let Steve know that they’d be coming home soon. 

“Sam.” 

He looked up, frowning as he met the eyes of a seemingly panicked Clint. “What is it?” 

“I…I was gone for two minutes and she’-” he looked over his shoulder, scanning the room in fear. “I don’t know where she is.”

Sam felt his heart fill with dread. “What do you mean you don’t know where she is?” Wanda was ridiculously clingy and full of anxiety, especially in public. She wouldn’t wander off on her own. 

“Sam, she’s gone. I can’t find her.” 

No, no, no. This could not be happening. 

Sam took a deep breath and tried to keep himself calm. “Maybe she got confused and tried to find you.”

“I just went to the restroom, it’s right over there. She couldn’t have gotten lost trying to find me. God, why did I leave her? I thought-Jesus Christ. What if she went outside?”

“Hold on.” Sam walked up to the front desk where a young secretary was typing something on a computer. “Excuse me. I’m looking for a girl who I think might have just left.”

The secretary looked up. “I might have seen her. What does she look like?” 

“She’s nineteen, brown hair, pretty tiny. And she was wearing this really fluffy blue dress with her hair done up.” Clint’s voice was desperate. “She has a foreign accent too, if that helps.” 

The man tapped his fingers on the desk thoughtfully. “You know, I think I saw a girl like that leave with a man.” 

Sam felt his heart drop to his shoes. “What’d he look like?”

“I didn’t get a good look at him. He had his hat over his face,” he said, looking concerned. “It just looked like they knew each other. Do you need to call the police or something?”

For a split second the two of them exchanged a look, considering it, but Clint shook his head. “No. Thank you anyway. When did they leave?”

“Just a few minutes ago.”

Sam ran out the door, down the stairs, and into the parking lot, with Clint close behind him. He scanned his surroundings frantically, quietly praying that they were still there. 

“We’d…better call Steve and Natasha,” Clint said weakly after a few minutes, “Oh my God, Pietro is going to lose his fucking mind.” 

“I know.” Sam felt sick. “She…she’s so shy. Why would she go off on her own with someone? She knows better.” 

“To tell you the truth, I’m really not sure she does.” He pulled his phone out and dialed Natasha. “Hey. I-I need to tell you something.”  

 

                                                                                                                 —————-

Vision drove for about half an hour before Wanda got the courage to ask him where he was going. He just shook his head and said sharply that it didn’t matter, they were going somewhere important, and to sit quietly. Outside the tinted car window, other cars rushed past them in what seemed like a frenzy. Wanda almost wanted to use her powers to stop the car now, but decided against it since it could probably end up causing some kind of crash. On top of that, she wasn’t sure she’d be able to overpower Vision so easily anymore. He seemed ready to put up a bit more of a fight. 

“Vision,” she whispered, “I wanna go home.” 

“You agreed to come with me,” he reminded her. “You wanted to do the right thing.” 

“But Sam and Clint…”

“Will be very happy in the long run that you took a burden off their shoulders. It cannot be easy to take care of you,” he met her eyes briefly. “Couldn’t you tell that they were getting tired of you? I certainly would.” 

She recoiled slightly. “They-they never said that-”

“To spare your feelings. Even for a human, you don’t understand much at all. It’s a shame, really. Be quiet now. I’m going to have to correct you if you don’t listen.” 

“Correct?”

He sighed. “You know what I mean.”

Wanda had a terrible feeling she _did_ know what he meant, and she was also completely sure he wasn’t supposed to do it. She had only been spanked once in her life, back in Sokovia after she had disobeyed Zrinka and wandered off, but Pietro had been livid over it. He’d never laid a hand on her, not once, and he’d told Zrinka to never do it again. She hadn’t, and neither had the others. Wanda would have told Vision this, but she didn’t want to risk it, and decided to stay quiet. Maybe when they got to wherever they were headed, he would let her call home and they’d explain everything. 

They drove for a little while longer. Lorna was getting nervous, but she was trying to hide it. 

 _It’s okay, Wanda_ , she said reassuringly, _Don’t worry. I’ll protect you._

Vision made a sharp turn,  hands gripping the steering wheel tightly. “I know Lorna is important to you. But I don’t believe that they’ll let you keep her.” 

Wanda felt her heart drop. At the look on her face, he could probably tell what she was thinking.

“It isn’t real,” he reminded her, “And you don’t really need that, Wanda. It’s a stuffed animal.” 

She looked down at Lorna sadly, patting her head. Maybe to Vision she was just a stuffed animal, but he didn’t know how important she really was. He didn’t know about how Pietro had got her for Wanda as a surprise and how she had loved her ever since. Lorna had been there through every sickness, every accident, every hard day. Wanda could have broken down in tears at the very thought of losing her friend. 

She wanted to go home, to run into Pietro’s arms, curl up and hide forever. She put her thumb in her mouth and crossed her legs tightly to try and distract herself from the fact that she desperately had to go to the bathroom-something she wouldn’t tell Vision, since she wasn’t supposed to talk, and a spanking didn’t seem worth it. 

 “You know,” Vision finally said, “It would have been better if Strucker had picked someone other than you to perform experiments on. Your brother, I can understand. But all that power…and it went to a silly girl.” 

 _Silly girl._ Natasha had called Wanda that multiple times, but it didn’t seem quite as affectionate coming from Vision. He continued on as he drove. 

“That’s why I’m doing this. So we know how you got your gifts. That way, someone better suited can be given them.” 

Wanda bit down on her lip, squirming in her seat. Lorna was purring gently, and it helped to soothe her a little bit. 

“It’s not just that that’s disappointing,” he said quietly, “Do you know what sex is, Wanda? Do you really know?” 

She flinched slightly, surprised he would even ask. 

“I wanted you. I wanted to fuck you. Tony knows. No one else.” 

Lorna wasn’t purring anymore. 

“He told me I couldn’t,” Vision said tightly. “That you could not consent, not really. To be honest, I think he was rather upset. But you have no idea what a disappointment it is. To look at you, to know that aesthetically, you are pleasing, but a crying mess on the inside. I find you pathetic, Wanda. And your beauty is a waste.” 

Wanda couldn’t contain any part of herself anymore, and it felt like it just took a split second for her to have an accident and burst into tears. “Stop it! I want my brother! I wanna go home!”

“Stop crying.” His voice, normally smooth, calm and collected was rough. “Stop it right now.”

“I-I need to-” she tried to get the words out between sobs and hiccups, but stopped short in shock when she felt a heavy slap across her face. 

“Enough.” His voice was calm again. “Enough. I won’t have you like this.”

Wanda couldn’t take it anymore. She raised a hand, shimmering, red smoke appearing around it. 

She didn’t get to hit him before suddenly, he had one hand on her neck and everything went dark.

 

                                                                                                                ——————————-

In a way, Clint wanted Natasha to go apeshit on him. He wanted her to scream and shout at him. 

But she didn’t. That wasn’t Natasha. All she was doing was sitting at the table, face pale and lips pressed tightly together. 

“She can defend herself,” she said, as if saying it aloud would make it more convincing. 

“She’s scared to use her powers. I wouldn’t bet on it.” Steve muttered. As painful as it was to admit, that was a more accurate statement. 

“Great. That’s fucking great,” Pietro’s voice was shaking, “How the fuck could you let this happen, Clint?”

He lifted his head out of his hands for a moment. “I don’t know.”

“I don’t know? That’s your answer?” He was yelling-of course he was. “My baby sister is _gone!_ I have spent my entire fucking life trying to make sure nothing ever hurts her and right now she’s dead for all I know!”

“Don’t say that,” Sam said quietly. Clint was pretty sure at this point, the man was in shock. He hoped he wasn’t blaming himself-it wasn’t his fault. 

“I called Phil and Melinda,” Natasha said quietly, “They said that they’ll see what they can do.”

“What _can_ they do? We have no idea who even took her!”

“Of course we do. It was Ross. Who else would it be?” 

Steve clasped Sam’s hand in his comfortingly, taking a deep breath. “We don’t know that for sure, but you’re right, it does make the most sense. I’m going to call Tony now and let him know.”

Sam nodded weakly. “What do you need me to do?” 

“Breathe. Don’t blame yourself.” He stood up slowly, took his phone out of his pocket, and left the room. He could hear Pietro’s voice breaking as he said something to Natasha in Sokovic. 

Tony picked up after the first ring. “What’s up, Cap?” 

“Hey,” Steve took a deep breath. “Listen, I’m panicking. I’m trying to keep it together for everybody, but I think I’m about to have a heart attack.” 

He instantly sounded more alert. “What? Why? What’s going on?”  
“I think Ross took Wanda. She was alone for a few minutes at therapy and then she was just gone. Apparently she went with a man and I have no idea what to do or where she is-”

“Whoa. Okay,” Tony interrupted, “Shit, that’s scary. I’m sorry.”

“I want to bring her home, Tony. What if it _is_ Ross?” 

He spoke carefully. “I’ll call him. And then I’ll call Vision, get him to…” he trailed off almost abruptly. 

“Tony?” Steve felt his heart start to race. “What is it?” 

“Nothing.” His voice was strange. “I just haven’t seen him since this morning.”

Forget surprising, that was fucking shocking. “Tony, you don’t think…”

“I wouldn’t normally. It’s just that-please tell me you’re not going to freak out.”

“Freak out about _what?”_

“I tried to forget about it. I told myself that it didn’t matter anymore,” he said quietly. “A few weeks ago he started talking about her to me. He said that he thought she was dangerous and that maybe what Ross had done wasn’t that bad.” 

Steve couldn’t help but be pissed off as hell about that last thing, but he already knew that Vision thought Wanda was dangerous. “And?”

“And then- Jesus Christ, he started talking about how he wanted her in…in a-.”

“In a very _what_ Tony?” Steve felt sick. 

Tony sighed. “In a very _sexual_ way, alright? He was all matter of fact about it. I told him that there was no way he could possibly do that to her and that it would be really fucked up and disgusting if he did-not in those words-and then he let it go. And it bugged me but I didn’t know what to do about it. So I let it go, I guess.”

“Oh my God. Oh _fuck_ , Tony.”

“I know. I know.” 

“Find him,” Steve’s voice shook. “Find him now.” 

                                                           ————————-

The first thing Wanda realized when she woke up was that there was something heavy around her neck again. It was too familiar. 

She gasped, realizing what it was, and clawed at it frantically, stopping only when it sparked and shocked her. 

“I didn’t want to do that.” Vision said quietly. He had parked the car close to what looked like docks. They were at the very edge of the city. “They told me I might have to, but I had hoped you would cooperate more. No matter. Out of the car.” 

It was pouring rain outside. Wanda tried to protect Lorna from the downpour by tucking her under her coat. Vision locked the car and sighed. “They’ll be here soon. General Ross has a great interest in you, Wanda. And your brother. But right now, it’s psychic abilities he’s truly interested in. You’re going to help him.”

Wanda shook her head. “He’s a bad man.”

“He works for law and order,” he said, “And that’s what I care about. I care about you too, Wanda.”

She shook her head, backing away. “Y-you don’t.” 

The collar shocked her again just as she came to the realization that _he_ was controlling it with his own system. “Wanda, I don’t expect you to understand, but love can be painful this way. I want to see what will happen to you by the time they’re done-I want to see what you’ll be like. I know it will be a beautiful kind of power. I’m doing this because I love you. Try to understand.”  

Wanda didn’t think she could understand. Maybe she’d had what love was all wrong in her head. “Don’t touch me.”

“Wanda,” he stepped forward, a warning in his voice. “Don’t make me punish you.” 

Before he could do anything, she sent him back with a blast of red energy. It only took a moment for him to get up, eyes flashing. Wanda was on the ground as the collar shocked her again and he pinned her down. “Stop this.” 

She screamed, something that seemed to take him aback long enough for her to hit him with another hex. This time, he stayed down long enough for her to reach up and get the collar off with one swift motion, red cutting through steel. Heart racing, she ran, praying that he was disoriented enough not to see the direction she’d gone in. 

“It’s okay, Lorna,” she whispered, “It’s okay.” 

_Did he hurt you?_

“Yes.” 

Wanda wasn’t really sure where they were. She recognized the skyline enough to know that they were still in New York City, but she was still completely and utterly lost. She’d never really been out on her own before, and she wanted nothing more than to be with her brother. 

Her brother. Pietro. Mommy, Daddy, Sam, Clint. Wanda started crying again, tears blending in with the rain on her face. What if she was lost forever or Vision found her and brought her back with him and she never saw them again?

She ran for what felt like hours,  weaving through crowds of people and trying to avoid bumping into them. Eventually she ducked into an alleyway to get away from it all, curling up and wincing as the gravel scraped at her knees.

“Are you okay, Lorna?” She whispered, looking down at her. 

 _Yeah. Don’t worry. But what are_ we _gonna do?_

“I don’t know. I-I was never this lost before.” 

_I miss Mommy and Daddy._

“Me too,” she hugged her close, “I wanna go home.” 

The rain showed no sign of letting up, and the wind was picking up. Wanda shivered violently and tugged her sleeves over her hands to keep them warm. Not far away, she could hear the busyness of the street and people talking. It was loud enough so she didn’t notice the sound of footsteps coming forward. 

“Hey. Are you okay?”

Wanda shrieked and jumped away, immediately thinking that they had found her. The woman who the voice belonged to didn’t _look_ mean. Her face was gentle and her soft, dark hair framing her face was dry because of the light blue umbrella she was carrying. She looked slightly alarmed at the reaction Wanda had, and put a hand up in surrender. “Whoa, don’t worry. It’s okay. I’m not gonna hurt you or anything. I promise. I just thought you looked like you could use some help.” 

Wanda shook her head, unable to speak without crying. “I want Mommy.”

The woman looked slightly taken aback, but took it in stride after a moment. Her voice took on a slightly different tone. “It’s okay, sweetie. I’ll help you find your mommy. Did you get lost?”

“Yes!” She sobbed, “It’s all my fault! I wanna go home!”

“Oh, I’m sure it’s not your fault,” the woman inched closer, “What happened to your neck? And your face…did someone hit you?”

She nodded. 

“Did Mommy hit you?” 

An emphatic no. “She doesn’t hit.”

“Okay,” she said gently, “I just wanted to make sure. What’s your name?”

Wanda didn’t say anything. Even if she had a feeling this woman was not a part of Ross’s plan, she also didn’t trust a stranger completely. She seemed to understand this and instead of pressing it, continued on. “My name is Claire. I work very close by here, at a hospital. I’m a nurse. You know what we do, right? It’s my job to make people feel better.”

She shook her head. “Wanna go home.” 

“Are you sure I can’t check you out first?” Her voice was still gentle. “That’s okay. Maybe I can call your mommy for you. Do you have her phone number?”

Wanda shut her eyes tight and tried to remember. A part of her was telling herself she was being stupid again for trusting a stranger, but there was something about Claire that put her at ease. “I think so.” 

“Okay,” Claire pulled her phone out. “I’ll call her for you. You’ll see her soon enough.” 


	22. Chapter 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Simply to reiterate-read the tags, be aware of what this story is about, and if it's not your thing, that's cool. Just don't read it.
> 
> Thank you again for all the reviews, guys (holy shit you're all fuckin great).

Natasha couldn’t remember a time when she had been a crier. For her, emotions had always been a nuisance, something that got in the way of getting a job done. She had pushed them to the side and pretended that they didn’t exist. 

And then the Avengers had come along and she had adopted Wanda, who was possibly gone forever. Natasha felt a lump in her throat and internally kicked herself. 

_Keep it together, Romanov. Don’t assume the worst._

Steve was on his way to see Tony, saying that it would be better if it was just the two of them talking it out. Natasha didn’t think she could face the man at the moment, and agreed that it was probably best. She was sitting quietly with Clint, staring at her phone. Sam was with Pietro, who was seconds away from snapping completely. He understood how he felt, Natasha reasoned. Sam knew what loss felt like. 

Natasha knew that as good as he was, Pietro was capable of hurting anyone who put their hands on his sister. She couldn’t say she was much different. 

“Hey, Nat,” Clint put a hand on her shoulder. “It’s gonna be okay.”

Clint was the only person who she usually let see her cry, and Natasha couldn’t stop a tear from falling. 

“Natasha,” he said again, softer this time. “I’m so sorry.”

“It’s not your fault. It’s just…” she took a gulp of air, trying not to let the sound of a sob escape. “She’s my baby. They can’t fucking have her. She’s _my_ little girl and I’m supposed to love her and take care of her and.…and I’m not going to let them take that away. I can’t! I fucking can’t.” she buried her head in her hands, shoulders shaking.

“I know. I know.”

She was only quiet for a minute before she lifted her head out of her hands and whispered something in Russian that Clint didn’t understand at first. 

Natasha repeated it in English, in a whisper, but with thunder in her voice. “I hate people like him.”

“Like-”

“Everything,” her words pulsated with anger, “They will take _everything_ and _everyone_ from you and act like it was always theirs.” 

Clint opened his mouth to respond but didn’t get the chance, as Natasha’s phone rang at that exact moment. She looked down at it and went pale when she saw that it was from an unknown number. She pressed the answer button gingerly and put it on speakerphone, immediately adopting the typical Black Widow tone that people were more familiar with. “Hello?”

“Hi.” The voice that came through didn’t sound in the least threatening, but that didn’t throw Natasha off her guard any less. “Um…my name is Claire Temple and I think I’m with someone who’s looking for you.”

Natasha’s heartbeat quickened. “Is it a girl?”

“Yeas,” she sounded almost relieved, “She keeps asking for her mommy-who I assume is you.”

“You assumed right,” Natasha stood up, “Is she hurt?”

There was a pause. “Kind of. I’m a nurse and I would have looked closer, but she doesn’t seem to want anyone to touch her.”

She swallowed hard. “Okay. Can you put her on the phone?”

“Yeah.” There was a pause, and then Wanda’s shaky voice came over the phone. “Mommy?” 

Natasha could have cried from relief, and from the look on Clint’s face, he could have too. “It’s okay, sweetheart. Everything’s going to be okay.”

“I’m sorry,” she choked out, “I wanted to help.”

“I-I know, baby,” she sucked in a sharp breath. “Mommy’s going to come and get you now. Can you stay where you are?”

“Y-yes. I can.”

“Good girl. I’ll be there soon. Give the phone back to Claire,” Natasha kept it on speaker while she grabbed her jacket, “Can you text me your location?”  
Claire’s voice came on again. “Yeah, no problem. Don’t worry, we’re going to be just fine.”

After hanging up, Natasha met Clint’s eyes. “I’m going alone. If it really is some kind of trap, Pietro might lose it and do something that Ross could hold against us. It’ll be easier to run with just two people. And on top of that, it’s probably not a great idea to crowd her that much anyway.”

“Yeah, good point,” he nodded. “I’ll call Steve.”

“Good,” she opened the door to the pouring rain and pulled her hood over her head, barely concealing her flame colored hair. “Hold down the fort. I’ll be back soon.”

 

 

“Are you sure you don’t want to come under the umbrella? You look freezing.”

Wanda shook her head. Even though Claire seemed nice, she was wary of strangers at the moment. Claire understood this and smiled kindly at her. “So, Mommy’s coming to get you. I bet it’ll be good to see her, huh?”

She nodded. 

“How long have you been gone from home?”  
It felt like forever, even if it had just been that morning. “Kinda long. After Dr. Samson, I go.” 

“Oh, you went to the doctor,” she was trying to keep her tone conversational. “How was that?”

Wanda shrugged and put her thumb in her mouth, rocking back and forth, like she was trying to soothe herself. Claire scanned her all over, taking in the dirty, torn blue dress, cuts, bruises, and scratches. One side of her unkempt hair was held up in a limp ribbon, while the other one fell past her shoulders.

Jesus, what had this girl been doing? The weird thing was, Claire thought she looked kind of familiar. 

“Hey,” she said gently, “What’s your name?”

Silence. She seemed to have drawn into herself. Maybe she just didn’t want to talk about that kind of thing. She had an accent too, but the woman on the phone hadn’t. Slightly worried for the girl’s safety, Claire hedged another question. “Where are you from, honey?” 

The girl looked at her directly again, wide eyed and quiet for just a moment. “Sokovia.”

“Oh. Oh, God.” She didn’t mean for it to come out like being from Sokovia was a terrible thing, but she watched the news, and she’d heard plenty of stories about how bad things had been there. Maybe this girl was adopted somehow. 

“Mommy’s not from Sokovia, is she?”

She shook her head. “Russia.” 

“She sounds American.”

“Yes.”

Claire was slightly suspicious of the whole situation and was starting to wonder if she should call Matt and see if there was anything he could do. She inched slightly closer. “I’m not going to hurt you, okay? I promise. But I need to know that if I have you go back with your mom, that she’s going to take care of you.”

Wanda nodded, and she took that as a yes. She looked down at her phone to see if this girl’s mother had texted her anything more, but there was nothing. Sighing, Claire put it back in her bag, pausing as the girl started crying again.

“Oh, honey,” she tentatively reached out a hand to put on her arm, not wanting to frighten her. “What is it?” 

She shook her head rapidly and kept rocking herself, thumb in her mouth and tears on her face. It was only then that Claire realized that she had a diaper underneath the tattered dress. Shit, she probably really did need someone to take care of her.

The girl seemed realize what she had noticed, and immediately pulled away, looking even more miserable than before if that was possible. 

“It’s okay,” Claire said softly, “It’s not a big deal.” 

“I _am_ a big girl. I am.” 

“Of course you are,” she smiled at her gently, “You’ve been very brave so far.”

For a moment, it looked like the girl might work through her tears enough to say something else, but the moment was interrupted by someone running down the alleyway. “Wanda!”

Claire didn’t register who it was until the woman was in clear sight, hugging her daughter close. 

Oh, _shit._  

_You just babysat a girl who saved the world that one time._

Natasha pulled back and looked Wanda up and down. “Who did this to you, baby?” 

She looked slightly confused, like she was in shock and hadn’t registered that Natasha was there yet. It took a minute for her to break down sobbing and hug her tight. “Mommy, Mommy!”

“Shhh. I know, baby. I know,” she whispered. “It’s okay now. Mommy’s here.”

It didn’t take long for Natasha to notice Claire. She extended a hand. “I cannot thank you enough.”

“Oh, don’t worry about it. I’m just glad everything’s okay,” she shook her hand and smiled, “I’d better get going,”

“Is there anything I can do for you? Really.” 

She shook her head. “Really, don’t worry about it. I think you’re going to want to make sure she gets looked after.”

Wanda shyly walked closer to Claire and whispered, “Thank you.”

“Don’t worry about it, sweetie. You go home and be with your mom, okay?” She smiled at Natasha and waved as she started to walk. “Nice meeting you, Miss Romanova. Good luck with everything.”

 

 

Natasha had tried not to smother Wanda when she saw her, but Pietro seemed to forget about that completely, wrapping her up in his arms the second they walked through the door. “Oh my God. I was so fucking scared.”

She whimpered, hiding her face in his shoulder. “S-sorry.”

“Love,” he pulled back and met her eyes. “What have I told you about going with strangers?”

“Vision’s not a stranger,” she sniffled, “He said to help and I was gonna be a good girl and I didn’t wanna not listen and-”

“Slow down,” he put a hand up, shaking in anger slightly. “What did he do?”

“We can talk about that later,” Natasha said quickly, “I’m going to go get her cleaned up, she’s a mess.”

Pietro didn’t argue with that, even if he looked like he wanted to, and watched as Natasha took Wanda into the bathroom and shut the door before turning on the shower. “Come on, baby.”

She shook her head and clung onto Natasha. “Mommy. Don’t go.”

“I’m not going anywhere, baby girl,” she smoothed her hair, “Do you want me to get in with you?” 

She nodded. It wasn’t unusual.

The water fell like rain but it was so warm that to Wanda, it felt almost like a shock. She whimpered a little bit and pulled away.

“It’s okay, sweetheart,” Natasha said soothingly as she pulled her own shirt off and climbed in, kneeling next to her, “It’s okay.” 

Wanda immediately snuggled close, sucking her thumb again and shivering just a little bit.

“No, no,” Natasha reminded her, “I’ll ask your brother get your pacifier, just be patient. Let’s wash your hair, yeah? You can hang onto me if you need to.”

Wanda didn’t have a very strong hold, but she didn’t let go of Natasha for a second, hiding her face in her shoulder and relaxing as she felt hands run gently through her hair. 

“Wanda,” Natasha said slowly, dreading the potential answer, “Were you with Vision?”

She stiffened. That was all the confirmation needed. 

“Did he…hurt you?”

Wanda burst into another onset of tears and Natasha decided that it was probably best if she didn’t press about it anymore. She tried to finish things up quickly, humming a little, hoping it would be soothing. 

Wanda finally spoke when the water was shut off. “I’m sorry.”

“Baby, stop apologizing,” Natasha wrapped a towel around her shoulders and started to dry her off. “I’m not mad at you. You didn’t know what would happen. I just want to know what he said to you to get you to come with?”

She looked down, hair dripping. “When he came here before he said I had to go away from you and then when he came to the doctor today he said we had to go help and to be a good girl. I went with.”

Natasha was still slightly confused, since Wanda often had a lot of problems articulating what she meant, but she was starting to get an idea. “Vision told you that you might have to leave, and today he brought you with him?”

She nodded.

“Why didn’t you tell us that he told you that?” It was actually frightening to think she kept that to herself. 

“He said if I didn’t tell, I’d be a good girl.”

Natasha sucked in a sharp breath and reminded herself to stay calm. She reached up to touch the bruise on the side of Wanda’s face. “Did he do this to you?”

“I was bad.” 

“Oh God, sweetheart,” she felt her heart start to break again. “No, you weren’t. I…come on. I’m gonna get you dressed. Daddy’s going to be home soon, and I know he wants to see you.”

“He’s mad.”

Natasha shook her head. “He’s not.”

“I wanna be good.”

“You are. You are.” 

 

 

Wanda didn’t eat much, even if Steve insisted. She wasn’t hungry, she was tired and felt sick.

So tired. 

Pietro was holding her on his lap and when she started to slump down and drift off, he stood up, cradling her. “I’m going to put you in bed now, you’re exhausted.”

She grabbed a fistful of his shirt. “You stay.”

“I’ll stay,” he promised her. They’d spent their whole lives cuddled up together at night, and after a year of separation, Pietro wasn’t going to complain about being close to his sister again. He shut the door and draping the blankets over her before lying down and pulling her against his chest. 

“I’m so sorry, love,” he whispered.

She shook her head. “I am.”

“It’s not your fault.”

Wanda shook her head and just huddled close to him. “I was so bad. I-I cried and I didn’t listen and then I had an accident and I cried more and-”

“Wanda, listen to me,” he met her eyes, “None of that makes you bad. Okay? I promise.” 

She didn’t look very convinced. Pietro couldn’t help but wonder if she was ever really going to believe it.


	23. Chapter 23

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm actually kinda happy with how this chapter turned out, and that's rare for me so yay! Thanks again for all the nice comments, guys. <3 Happy early Halloween!

Pietro didn’t sleep. 

He was afraid that if he closed his eyes for just a second, she’d be snatched away from him again. It was a fear he’d always had, which was why he’d so vehemently pushed the “don’t talk to strangers,” thing, but now it had gotten a hundred times worse.

Fucking Vision. He’d never liked that robot.

“Pietro,” Wanda mumbled, turning over a little bit, eyes opening slightly. “Brother.”

“Brother’s right here, sweetheart. I’m here.” He gathered her up into his arms again and rocked her. “Go back to sleep. It’s still early. The sun’s not out yet.”

She blinked. “You’re not going bed.”

“Not going _to_ bed,” he corrected her gently, “And I wasn’t tired. I don’t always need as much rest as you, remember?”

“I wanna be up. With you,” she reached up and tugged on his shirt, “Please?”

“Easy, easy.” Grabbing onto him like that was something she always did when she was starting to get worked up. “I’m going to get you some water.”

“You come back?”

He nodded and kissed her forehead. Thank God for super-speed. It only took a few seconds.

Wanda lay her head in his lap. “Mine.”

He laughed softly. “Sometimes I think you’re more protective than I am. Or maybe…possessive would be a better word.”

“What’s possessive?”

“Oh.” He tried to explain it in a way she’d understand, “It’s just when you want someone all for yourself, I guess. It’s probably not very healthy, but maybe it just happens easily when you love someone.”

“Do you possess me?”

“No. _You_ possess you,” he held her a little closer. “Understand?”

“Okay,” she sounded confused. “Can you give kisses still? If you don’t possess me?”

Pietro pressed his lips to her forehead. “Always. I love you so much, and I’ll never stop taking care of you. You’re my joy, Wanda.”

“You’re my joy too.” She was crying again.

Pietro kissed all over her face, her forehead, cheeks and nose. “Shhh, sweetheart. Open. I’m here.”

She parted her lips enough so he could give her the bottle, keeping one hand stroking her face. She whimpered and closed her eyes, trying to focus on the fact that they were both there, they were safe, nothing would hurt them. 

“That’s it,” he whispered soothingly as she started to calm down, “That’s my precious girl.” 

 

—————————————-

 

Wanda woke up to Steve changing her and humming. As soon as he noticed her eyes opening, he kissed her forehead. “Good morning, sleepy girl. Sorry I woke you up, but I didn’t want you to be uncomfortable.” 

Wanda stuck her thumb in her mouth, biting on it a little bit until Steve noticed and sighed. “Honey, no biting, no scratching, no hurting yourself. Remember? I’ll get your paci once I’m done.”  
“Where’s Pietro?”

“He’s just having coffee.” 

“He told stories last night.”

“Oh yeah?” He finished up and went to wash his hands, “All done, baby girl. One sec.” 

“Cinderella,” she mumbled around a few fingers, “She’s a princess. Can I watch her?”

“You want to watch Cinderella? You can do that.” He seemed a little on edge, not like he was angry, but more as if he was nervous. He finished getting her into a pink, cotton dress and slipped a pacifier into her mouth before picking her up and bouncing her gently when she made grabby hands at him. “All ready, sweetheart?”

She nodded and hid her face in his neck. Steve was so much bigger than her and it always made her feel tiny when he picked her up and cuddled her. At the moment, his size was almost comforting.

Steve put the second Cinderella film on and sat with her on the couch to watch it. Wanda didn’t want to let go of him even for a second. Sam came to sit with them after awhile, putting an arm around Steve and whispering something that Wanda didn’t hear. Steve just nodded and kissed the top of her head. “Are you hungry, ladybug?”

She shook her head. In all honesty, she wasn’t entirely sure if she was or wasn’t, just that she wanted to keep watching and didn’t want Sam or Daddy to get up and leave. 

“I called T-O-N-Y again,” Natasha said, “He-you know who I mean-isn’t back yet.”

“Did Rhodey say anything?”

She picked at a loose thread on her jeans. “He’s angry. Not just about this. About a lot. I guess he trusted his best friend, but he never really trusted…him. Especially after what happened with the spinal injury.”

“That’s understandable. Where is he now?”

She shrugged. “I’m going to try and call. See if I can get together with him and talk about all this.”

Wanda was too immersed in the movie to really notice what they were talking about, and stayed still in Steve’s arms until it was done and he set her down on the floor gently next to Clint to color for awhile. 

“Hey, sweetie,” Clint didn’t look her in the eye. “How are you?”

She shrugged and started scribbling with a red crayon, thinking of Vision’s words to her yesterday. 

He said he loved her and that love hurt. If Pietro loved her, did that mean he’d hurt her too? Maybe the men at the Raft had loved her, and that’s why they’d done what they did. Wanda immediately felt guilty for hating them. 

She hid the paper away from Clint and drew a picture of one of them on top of her. It didn’t look much like people, but she imagined that he was saying “I love you,” and it was dark all around and she had his penis in her mouth.

Wanda’s lip trembled. She slid the paper under the couch when Clint wasn’t looking and tried again. This time it looked a little better. 

“What are you drawing, sweetie?” Sam asked her.

“Nothing.”

“It’s gotta be something.”

She bit her lip. “Butterfly. Her baby died forever.”

“Oh,” he cleared his throat and gave Steve a look. “That’s very sad.”

“She named her baby Anya and her wings were pink. Do you know where babies come from?”  
He choked on his coffee. “Wanda, I think that’s a question for another-”

“Fucking” she said loudly, “It hurts.”

“Okay,” Pietro took the crayon out of her hand. “That’s enough. I don’t want you to think about that.”

Natasha sucked in a sharp breath. “Pietro-”

“It does hurt,” Wanda shouted before bursting into tears, “It does!”

“Jesus fucking Christ.” Pietro never swore in front of her. “I’m going to kill them.”

Natasha grabbed Wanda by the wrist and yanked her out of the room before it got heated. Sam was rubbing his temples like he had a headache, which he probably did. “Pietro, I know why you’re upset. I do. But you need to keep it under control. Remember, we are dealing with a toddler here.”

“She’s my sister!”

“And if I were you, I would want to kill those bastards too. Believe me. To be honest, they wouldn’t come out looking too good if I was alone with them for a few minutes.”

Steve nodded slowly. “You have to keep some level of self control around her. Maybe you should go to therapy too.”

“I don’t need a fucking shrink!”

“Pietro. It’s a good thing. I saw one. Sam sees one. Your sister does too.”

“Yeah, and I’m not completely on board with it either,” he snapped, “Don’t you think that’s a decision I should have been involved in?”

Sam raised an eyebrow. “We thought you were dead, remember?” 

“I-fine. Yes. But I raised her before any of this and I can still do it on my own.”

Steve crossed his arms. “I know that.”

“Well, why didn’t _you_ protect her?” his voice broke, “Why didn’t you make sure she was okay?”

“I did the best I could, Pietro. I swear I did. And for awhile she was happy-”

“Well your best wasn’t good enough!” Now he was yelling at the top of his lungs, _“My sister was raped!”_

A door slammed, causing him to look over his shoulder at a seething Natasha. “Can you keep it down?”

Pietro realized just then how loud he’d been, and clenched his jaw shut. Sam and Steve both still looked somewhat alarmed. Clint, who had been completely quiet, got up and put a hand on Pietro’s shoulder. “You need to breathe.”

“I’m trying.” 

“I know.”

Pietro looked at Steve, who now had his hand interlocked in Sam’s. “I-it wasn’t your fault. I know it wasn’t your fault. I’m sorry.”

He shook his head. “Don’t be. I think we’re all just a little stressed out. Right?” 

Sam nodded. “Pietro, I hope you know that Steve and I are always going to look after your sister. We want to.”

“It can’t be easy. I know it must have been a-a shock…”

“Kind of,” he shrugged. “But not a bad one. Look, I never had a family before this. None of us really did. We’re going to make it through this.”

Pietro sat down next to Clint and tried to breathe. It wasn’t that much easier. 

——————-

 

“Out came the sun and dried up all the rain. And the itsy bitsy spider went up the spout again.”

Natasha smiled a little bit as Wanda leaned closer to her, nuzzling her chest. “Again, again, Mommy. Please?”

She laughed softly. “One more. The itsy bitsy spider went up the waterspout…”

Wanda had some of the fabric of her shirt in her mouth now. Natasha felt like she should have been grossed out, but she was more amused than anything else. After she finished the song she asked, “Do you need something, baby girl? You can’t eat Mommy’s shirt.”

She nuzzled her again, pressing her body close. “Want you stay.”

“Mommy’s staying,” she promised her, “I’m staying right here.”

“Pietro’s mad.”

“Not at you. He’s mad that people have hurt you,” she explained, “He loves you very much. So do I.”

Wanda stiffened. “Really love?”  
“Really,” she rocked her a little bit more and didn’t say anything when she started to nuzzle her chest again. “I promise.” 


	24. Chapter 24

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I actually am not as happy with this chapter but I do hope you guys like it, and I so appreciate all your comments and everything. It really means the world to me. <3
> 
> Mistakes are mine. :)

Within another day, Wanda had hidden five more drawings under her bed. They were covered with scribbled hearts, naked bodies tangled up together, crying butterflies, and poorly written attempts at “I love you,” over and over again. She drew them when no one was looking, pressing them up against her chest and silently darting off whenever someone asked her what she was holding. On the off chance she didn’t get the chance to hide them under her bed, she stuffed them under the couch.

Nobody would think to look. 

Lorna hated the drawings. She had never hated anything about Wanda before, but she hated this. 

_I wish you would stop_

“It’s pictures. Just pictures,” Wanda told her, holding her close in a hug. “I drawed butterflies.”

 

 

Steve and Natasha had Wanda sit down at the table with them for a “talk,” which she didn’t want to have. Based on the looks on their faces, they didn’t either.

“Sweetheart,” Steve said slowly, looking at Natasha as if for reassurance. “Is it okay if we ask you something?”

“Okay.” 

“Good,” he took a deep breath. “What do you think sex is, Wanda?”

She drew her legs up, rested her chin on her knees, and then jumped down and crawled under the table. “No.” 

He sighed and pulled her up, this time onto his lap. “You’re not in trouble or anything, I promise. We just want to know.”

She squirmed a little and shook her head. “No.”

“Sweetheart, please. Help me out on this.” He looked into her eyes and spoke carefully. “Why is it a scary question for you to answer?” 

“It’s _bad_. Question.” She pointed to the ceiling. “Butterflies go up.”

“I know,” he wrapped his arms around her and held her a bit closer, locking eyes with Natasha. She leaned forward and said, “Sex is something that…uh, two people can do together to show that they love each other. Or for whatever other reason. The point is, they both decide that they want to do it, and they usually have a great time. Understand?”

Lorna snickered. _What are they talking about?_

Wanda bit her lip. “Don’t get it.”

“Okay,” she tried again, “Sex is really intimate and-”

“What’s that?”

“Like, close and personal. And it should just be between two people who want it. And they both have to want to do it. Okay?”

“Okay. I go now.”

“We’re not done,” Steve said, rubbing her arm gently. “Sometimes-um, very bad people will try to have sex with someone who says no or can’t say no if they want to and that’s called r-”

Wanda jumped out of his lap and ran off, feeling her heart pound so hard it felt like it was going to burst out of her chest. She bumped into Clint, but got into the hall closet and shut the door before he could say anything. 

“Wanda Natalya Maximoff,” he didn’t sound impressed. “Come out here right now.” 

 _Stay quiet,_ Lorna advised. _Maybe if you’re quiet long enough you’ll turn invisible and he’ll think you disappeared._

Wanda thought that she’d like to disappear, and closed her eyes tight, staying as silent as she could and hoping it would happen. For an instant, she thought it really might be real until the door swung open and Steve pulled her out. 

“No!” She started sobbing, “No, no, no!”

He was holding her close now. “Oh, honey. Don’t cry.” 

 _Don’t cry_ , Lorna agreed. 

“We didn’t mean to make you upset,” he said softly, “But you have to talk about this at some point. I know it’s hard.”

It wasn’t just hard. Wanda couldn’t really put into words how any of it made her feel-not just the Raft, but life in Sokovia, the experiments, Vision, all of it. The memories were too much, and she felt like she was drowning in all of it. 

Steve didn’t make her talk about it anymore.

Instead, he went to the front door, helped to put her coat on, and took her outside for a walk with Sam. Wanda held both their hands. 

“No butterflies,” she said.

“It’s almost winter, remember?” Steve reminded her, “Butterflies went away for a little while, on vacation.”

“Flowers too. And animals.”  

“Some of them are taking a nap,” he nodded, “Which you probably need when we get back. But it’s good to have fresh air too, right?”

She nodded, looking down and dragging her left foot across the pavement a little bit. “Sorry I ran.”

Sam shook his head. “We want you to talk about it, but we’re not angry, hon. I know what it’s like-I didn’t talk about how I was feeling for a long, long time.”

Feeling things was terrible. 

“Pietro feels sad.”

“I think he has a lot of stuff he hasn’t worked through,” Steve said carefully, “I’m sure he appreciates you being there for him. Hold onto me when we’re crossing the street, okay?” 

“And look two ways,” she leaned forward off the curb a little. “Left and right. For cars.”

“That’s right. Good job.”

“Lorna says they’re scary.”

“Lorna doesn’t have to be scared,” Sam laughed, “She’s perfectly safe. You take very good care of her. I don’t think anything’s going to happen as long as she stays with you.” 

That was true. Wanda had protected Lorna from everything-it was one of the few things she prided herself on. 

“She says she’s happy we go outside,” she told him, “Me too.”

“I think it was a good idea to take a walk,” he agreed, pausing for a moment. “Do you want to go and play for a little while, sweetheart? We’ll be right over here.” 

She looked a little nervous. “Close?”

“Very close.”

Wanda didn’t go far, just near a tree where she picked a few long blades of grass out of the ground and started to weave them together, occasionally looking up to make sure that they were still there. On a bench close by, Sam slouched down and leaned his head onto Steve’s shoulder. “I’m glad you got her out of the house.” 

“Yeah. She shouldn’t be a shut in,” he sighed, “I’m just scared. You know, of more people finding out about how she is.” 

“Well, it’s not like she can help it. I mean, I know that it’s a thing most people can turn on and off, but-I mean, her powers made that kinda impossible.”

“Well, Pietro said she was like this before the experiments.”

“Yeah, I’ve seen it before,” he shrugged, “I’m not an expert, but after something really traumatic happens-you know, like watching your parents get crushed to death under a building-your brain can come up with weird ways of coping. I wonder why it didn’t happen to Pietro.”  

“He’s a different person, I guess. So…different coping mechanisms?” Steve frowned, “He keeps a lot inside, though. I wish I could convince him to see someone. The kid’s stubborn as hell.” 

“Yeah, well.” Sam picked at a loose thread on his jeans. “I’m sure you have no idea what that’s like.” 

Steve rolled his eyes. “Oh, come on. If anyone is stubborn in this relationship, it’s you.”

“Are you kidding? Who’s the one that tried to take down the entire government again?”

“Hey, you jumped out of a building.”

“It was either that, or die,” he laughed, “See, aren’t you glad that I made that particular reckless decision?”

“For once, yes,” Steve leaned over and kissed him, “I love you, Sam Wilson. I should probably thank Fury for saving your life.”

“I think we have a lot to thank that man for. I’m glad he stayed out of all that shit with the Accords,” Sam drummed his fingers on the side of the bench, “Do you think he would have been on your side?”

He shrugged. “I don’t think he would have trusted Ross. I mean, he doesn’t really trust a whole lot of people, but he really dislikes him as far as I know.” 

“Because of Bruce?”

“I think that’s part of it, but they never got along. That’s the feeling I got, anyway,” Steve squeezed his hand. “Hey, look at us. We’re just relaxing in a park like a normal couple. It’s nice.”

“It is,” he agreed, looking over at Wanda, now tripping over her feet as she ran around with Lorna. “A normal couple with a kid and everything.”

“Yeah,” Steve’s smile dimmed. “I just wish I could figure out a way to get her to open up about all this. I feel like we know the bare minimum of what happened, and if we don’t know anything, how are we supposed to help her?” 

“I know,” he sighed, “I guess we can talk to Dr. Samson about it, but there’s only so much one guy can do. Maybe she’ll just start talking gradually. Like, I’ve never heard her say ‘fuck’ before the other day. Or talk about sex. I can’t think of anywhere else she would have picked it up from. I don’t think Pietro ever had The Talk with her.”

“I can’t blame him too much. He really did the best he could. At least he has help now.”

“Sometimes I think he’s a little resentful of it.”

“Yeah,” he shook his head, “I guess I can’t blame him for that either.” 

 

 

The wind was picking up by the time they got back home, and Wanda had calmed down considerably, showing no trace of being upset by that morning’s conversation anymore. She ran up to Pietro and hugged him tight. “I go goodnight now.”

“You gonna take a nap?” He picked her up and kissed her cheek. “I think Natasha wants to cuddle with you.” 

“You too?”

“Give me a minute. I’ll be there,” he smiled gently and set her down. “Go with Mommy.”

Wanda grabbed Natasha’s hand and tugged on it. “Kisses?”

“Lie down first, then I’ll give you kisses,” she ruffled her hair, “Are you feeling okay, kitten?”

“Uh-huh,” she pulled her down the hall and into her room, “Daddy and Sam and me went walking.” 

“So I heard.” Natasha helped her lay on her back, “Are you wet?”

Wanda shook her head. “No.”

Natasha gave her a look. “Are you sure? You don’t have to be embarrassed.”

“M’really not.” She was a little bit, but couldn’t bring herself to say it at the moment. 

“Well…okay,” she lay down next to her and laughed as Wanda burrowed her face into her chest again. “Sorry princess, but you’re squishing my boobs.” 

She whimpered a little as she pulled back. “I want…” 

“I know, I know, and I’d nurse you right now if I could, but I think that might make your brother feel…I don’t know.” Pietro might be completely fine with it, or he’d blow a gasket. She didn’t want to find out which. “I can give you a bottle, okay?” 

She thought for a moment. “I give you?”

Natasha laughed out loud again. “Thanks, but I don’t need you to do that. I like feeding you more, anyway. Now close your eyes, you need to rest. Try to think of happy things.”

Wanda yawned and curled up a little, pressing herself as close to Natasha as she could, using every ounce of strength she had not to think about the pictures under the bed.


	25. Chapter 25

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It has been a bad, heartbreaking week for my country.  
> I hope reading provides a quick little escape for you guys.  
> Thank you again for all your comments. <3

Pietro had tried to rest a little bit, but Natasha was driving him crazy with her cold feet and constant joked about just about everything he did. He grumbled at her as he turned around and closed his eyes. “I thought this was her naptime. You’re annoying.”

“She falls asleep really easy if you do it right.” 

Wanda _had_ drifted off, and was snuggled up between the two of them, but Pietro couldn’t help but he a little annoyed at the comment. “I know how to get her to sleep. I did it on my own for years.”

“I know,” she said bemusedly, “I mean, I did take care of her when you weren’t here.” 

He glared at her. “I would have been here if I could.”

“Okay, okay. Jesus,” she shook her head and lay back down. “She won’t know you’re not here, you can go if you want.” 

“Of course she’ll know!” he raised his voice, “We’re twins!”

“She’s _asleep.”_

Pietro gathered Wanda in his arms and held her protectively against his chest. “I know her better than you.” 

Natasha rolled her eyes. “Is it a competition now?”

“That’s not what I said. I’m just saying I know what’s best for her, that’s all. Right, sweetheart?” He smoothed his sister’s hair back and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “I love you so much.”

Natasha sighed and rolled over, not saying anything more until Wanda sleepily mumbled, “Mommy?”

“Mommy’s here, baby,” she turned back around and cupped her cheek. “Are you tired?”

She reached a hand out, weak and shaky. “Want nurse.” 

“No, you don’t,” she felt her heart skip a beat. “Later.” 

Pietro gave her a look. “What is she talking about?”

“She wants to play. Hospital or whatever. She likes to make her toys feel better.” That was technically true.

He looked annoyed that he hadn’t noticed this. “She never did that in Sokovia.” 

Natasha snorted. “Probably because she had enough real life medical issues to deal with.” 

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

“It means that you were living an area where a lot of bombs were dropped and a lot of people got hurt.” She didn’t say it in a mean way. It was true that Novi Grad had been the center of Sokovia’s conflict, and she knew just from little snippets that the twins had seen the worst of it. “It’s not your fault.”

He looked a little less defensive. “I guess. But-”

“It’s not bad that she wants to play different things.”

Wanda used to pretend to be a teacher, even if she couldn’t read. Pietro barely could, but he had played along with it when she’d gotten down on the ground and sketched what she thought had looked like letters, explaining to him what it might all mean. 

He’d wanted so badly to send her to school. 

He also knew there was no way they’d ever have had enough money to rent an apartment if they both didn’t work. It was just as well. Wanda always got teased at school before, and he was sure it wouldn’t really change if she sucked her thumb in front of her peers. 

“I’m glad Steve and Sam took her to the park,” Natasha said, interrupting his thoughts as soon as Wanda was asleep again. “I just…she really freaked out when we tried to talk to her about it.” 

He stiffened. “She doesn’t need to know about that.” 

She looked mildly horrified. “Are you _kidding_ me? After what happened she doesn’t need to know about it?” 

“No! It upsets her and she’s too innocent for that! I never explained it to her before. She doesn’t need to know now.” The last thing Pietro wanted to do was debate whether or not his precious little sister should get the sex talk, but Natasha didn’t relent. 

“She does need to know. To at least understand better what happened. I’m her mom, I should be able to make that choice.”

“Well, I’m her brother and I had her first, so I can make that choice.” God, it sounded like such an awful thing to say, especially after he had just told her that nobody owned her. But he couldn’t help but feel a little more possessive, and the very idea that there were other authority figures in the mix that she had attached herself to was not helping. 

“It doesn’t matter,” Natasha told him. “I’m not gonna quit taking care of her. We can do this together, but if you’re not gonna-”

Wanda cried out suddenly, eyes flying open. For an instant, she looked like she was in some kind of trance while she tried to figure out where she was. Then she broke down in tears.

“Oh honey, honey. Shhh,” Natasha pulled her close into her arms, away from Pietro, and rocked her. “Mommy’s here. It’s okay.” 

Pietro felt almost stiff. 

He was trying really hard not to argue with Natasha. It would be easier if he didn’t want to be the one cuddling his sister so damn badly. Why did it feel like she was a million miles away? 

“No more sleep, please,” Wanda rubbed her eyes with a fist, her face wet with tears. “Story, Mommy.” 

She sighed, but relented. “Okay, princess. Go pick out a story. Maybe Pietro will listen too. Right?”

“Maybe,” he said unenthusiastically. “What story is it?”

“The Ariel one,” Wanda climbed back next to Natasha and pressed the book into her hand. “She’s a mermaid.”

“Oh.”

“Mermaids have tails.” 

“Cool. What does she do?” 

“Well, you’ll just have to listen and find out,” Natasha said lightly, poking his arm. “You should know all these princesses by the way, because your sister can talk for hours about them.” 

He grumbled, “I know that one…who has the fairy godmother?”

“Cinderella,” Wanda told him, “I was her on Halloween.”

“What the hell is that?” 

“It’s a holiday where you dress up and have candy,” Natasha told him, “She looked really cute, I’ll show you a picture. Now shut up and listen.”

 

 

Pietro hated Ariel the mermaid just halfway through the book and was relieved when Natasha finally closed it and said that it was time for a bath. Wanda still looked exhausted when Natasha took her into the bathroom and ran the water, and he couldn’t exactly blame her after all that had happened. 

He still wanted to fucking pummel that android. 

“Pietro,” Wanda tugged on his hand. “Help, please.” 

He blinked, then gently helped her out of her shirt. “Arms up.” 

“Daddy said we can watch movies,” she told him, rocking back on her heels. “Sam too.” 

He groaned. “If it’s The Little Mermaid…”

“Mulan.”

“Whoever that is, I hope she’s better,” he picked her up and kissed her forehead before setting her down in the bath. “You want me to wash your hair?” 

Natasha opened her mouth, but he cut her off. “I can take care of her. Really.”

She shut it tightly and nodded before closing the door. Pietro turned his attention back to his sister. “This is way better than how it used to be, isn’t it?” 

She nodded, sucking her thumb until he noticed her biting it. “Wanda. No.” 

“Huh?” 

He sighed and gently took it out of her mouth. “No biting yourself. Doesn’t that hurt?” 

She shrugged. “Lorna says no too.” 

“Well, you should listen to her,” he took a pause as he picked up a bottle of shampoo. “I still can’t believe you kept that thing.” He should have figured. She had been attached to Lorna ever since she’d gotten her. Still, Pietro couldn’t help but feel like she should have wanted to let go of her when he had “died.” Wouldn’t she just serve as a painful connection to a life that Wanda no longer had? 

“I love Lorna,” she looked appalled, “I wanna always keep her.”

Pietro smiled a bit as he got her hair wet. “I’m glad that you had a friend to keep you company while I was gone.” 

“Mommy and Daddy and Sam did too. Keep company,” she shifted a little and splashed at the water.

“Yeah,” he grimaced. “I know. Hey, do you want me to do this really fast?” 

Her eyes widened and she smiled. “Yes! Go fast!”

It only took a few moments before Pietro had finished bathing her and had her out of the bath and in his arms, wrapped in a towel. Wanda leaned into his chest, pressing her cheek right where his heart was beating and closed her eyes. “I love you.” 

Those were words that would never fail to put a smile on his face. “I love you too, sweetheart. Come on, let’s get you dressed.”

 

 

Pietro liked Mulan a whole lot more than he had expected, even if he spent a good portion of it trying not to look at Wanda cuddled in Natasha’s arms. Steve leaned over and patted his arm. “You okay?”

He nodded. “This is fun. I’ve never really had a movie night.”

“We should do it more often,” he said, “I think it’s just a good way to relax. And you look….” he hesitated, “Stressed.”

Pietro crossed his arms and leaned back against the couch. “I’m fine.” 

“Are you sure?” Steve didn’t look like he believed him, which wasn’t surprising. At the moment, Pietro didn’t feel like putting a ton of effort into a very convincing poker face. Still he nodded and shrugged. “Yeah.”

“Pietro,” Wanda leaned over and tugged on his arm. “This is the best part.” 

Sam laughed, “Last time you said the beginning was the best part. Even though I do like this song, so I’ll agree with you.” 

Pietro felt his phone buzz in his pocket and got up to go answer it, walking out of the room and speaking quietly. “Hello?”

There was a brief moment of silence, and then a voice. “Hey, Pietro. This is Phil.”

“Oh. Hi,” he said in surprise, “Did you want to talk to Natasha?” 

“No. Just you,” he sounded a bit uncomfortable. “Do you want to meet me for a drink?” 


	26. Chapter 26

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for all the reviews guys. You have no idea how much I really appreciate them. <3 I hope you like this chapter.

All Pietro really knew about Phil was that he had died, come back to life, owned a lot of guns, and had three kids. 

He really had no idea why he’d want to randomly have drinks with him. 

The bar they were at was nearly empty, save for a few people sitting in booths and talking about work problems, the football game that week, things Pietro wished he had to worry about. Phil leaned across the bar, looking into the glass of scotch in front of him, as if it was somehow going to help him figure out what to say. 

Pietro spoke first. “Look, I appreciate this and everything, but why did you want to see me again?”   
Phil smiled. “I was wondering how you’re doing.” 

“With the whole coming back to life thing? Fine,” he shrugged, “It’s still weird. I guess I’ve been trying to ignore the fact that I missed so much. That’s what I can’t wrap my head around. For a whole year, I was dead.” 

“It’s uncomfortable to acknowledge,” he agreed, “Sometimes I still have nightmares…”

“About dying? Me too. I don’t really remember it. What came after, I mean. I remember right before it, but the actual passing out part is just a blank to me. Maybe it’s better that way.” It didn’t really get much worse than remembering your last few moments on earth-even if that didn’t really count, since he’d come back to life. 

“Some days are better than others,” Phil told him, “And if you’re ever struggling with anything or just need to talk, you can give me a call.” 

Pietro actually smiled back at him. “Thank you. Really.” 

“No thanks needed. Trust me, I know its hard. But you’ll get there. I did,” he took a deep breath. “And I’m sure that everything else going on that you woke up to is hard to deal with.” 

Immediately, Pietro pulled away, feeling a bit more tense. “Yeah. Well. I can’t fucking fix that.”

“Nobody can fix that. It’s not on you.”

“You’re right,” he said bitterly, “It’s on Steve and Sam and Clint and Natasha. Especially Natasha.” He didn’t know why he felt such a rivalry with her over this, but he couldn’t help it.

Phil gave him a gentle, but stern look. “Natasha loves her.” 

“I loved her first!”

“I know it must be hard to watch her attach herself to other people, but you have to remember that’s probably good for both of you. It gives you a little more time for your self too,” he took a drink, “Maybe you could try taking classes. Just for fun.” 

He shook his head. “I can barely read and write in Sokovic, let alone English. The only reason I can speak it is because we got some American broadcasting, and I heard soldiers and humanitarian workers talking when I was a kid.” 

Phil looked concerned. “Why can’t you read or write?”

“I _sort of_ can. But we didn’t get to go to school very much because it was dangerous…and they didn’t have a ton of resources. Then we had to drop out by the third grade anyway.” 

“Didn’t the orphanages have-”

“An orphanage would have separated us,” he cut in, “And they’re worse than the streets. Look, it didn’t matter. I got a job, and they don’t need you to read in order to work a machine in a factory.” 

Phil stayed quiet, and Pietro could only hear the laughter of the men in the booth behind them. When the other man finally spoke again, it was with a kind of conviction in his voice. 

“I’m sorry about everything that happened to you,” he said, “You’ve had a hard life. And you didn’t get to control much of it.” 

“Don’t be sorry. It’s not your fault. I just want things to be the best they can be for us now.” 

“Right,” he said slowly. “Which is why I wanted to give you this.” 

Phil had brought a briefcase with him, but Pietro hadn’t thought much of it, figuring that he might have just come back from doing something important. When he opened it up, he pulled out a manila envelope and handed it to him under the table. 

Pietro stared. “What-”

“I want you to know something,” Phil said in a low voice, “I’m not telling you what to do. You can give those back to me. You can keep them and do nothing. You can burn them. You can do whatever you want.” 

“I don’t understand.”

“I found an old acquaintance who was working the Raft at the time your sister was there,” he said quietly, “He managed to get me the names of the two men who were assigned to watch her.”

Pietro felt his heart stand still. 

“I’m not telling you to kill them. I’m not even encouraging it in any sense of the world,” Phil said, “I’m doing this because if it was Jemma or Skye or Leo, I’d want someone to do the same for me. And I think you at least deserve to know.” 

His hands were shaking as he held the envelope in his hands. He could feel the faint outline of a sheet of paper and then something else. Something hard. 

Phil looked him in the eye. “There’s a security tape. You don’t have to watch it. I wasn’t sure if I was going to give it to you because I knew it would hurt. But like I said, you deserve to know what happened.” 

His chest felt tight. “I will never be able to thank you enough.” 

“No thanks needed, remember?” He finished the rest of his drink, stood up, and patted him on the shoulder. “It’s getting late. We should both get going.”

“Yeah,” he said quietly, “In a minute.”

“I’m not leaving you on your own right now.”

Pietro was grateful for that too. He opened up the envelope and slid out two files, each with a picture of a different man, their names, phone numbers, address, and work position printed below. 

One of them was almost smiling. Pietro looked into the faces of the men who had raped his sister and felt his hands start to shake with rage. 

 

 

Wanda was lying on her stomach, arranging her Sylvanian Families and humming to herself when she realized that her brother wasn’t back yet. She looked up at Clint and asked, “Where’s Pietro?”

“He went out with Phil, princess,” he walked over and picked her up so she could sit on his lap. “He’ll be back soon. What are you doing?” 

“Katerina has a birthday,” she said. “I want outside.”

“Nope. It’s getting dark out. I don’t want you to get lost,” he said firmly, “Didn’t you play outside for a long time today?”

“I wanna find Pietro.”

Clint tried not to laugh. “Sweetheart, you’re not going to find him at the park or anything. Give your brother some space. I know you love him, but he’s got a life of his own too.”

She looked a little saddened, but nodded. “Okay.”

“Good girl,” he praised her, “You’re such a good girl, princess.”

That perked her up. “Really?”

“Really. And you’re the cutest thing in the world.” 

“Lorna is cutest.” She reached down and picked her up, feeling her purr. 

_Thank you._

“You’re welcome,” Wanda told her, “I mean it.”

Clint looked slightly bemused. “I didn’t say thank you.” 

She shook her head. “Lorna said thank you.” Grownups never seemed to understand when Lorna was talking. 

“Oh, I see. Must have not heard her,” he chuckled, “Are you feeling okay?” 

Wanda shrugged. “Want nurse. Please.”

“Oh…Natasha hasn’t been able to do that with you in awhile, huh?” With Pietro back and all the issues he had with letting other people take care of his sister, Clint could understand why. “I’ll go get her.”

“No!” It was rare for her to be forceful, but Wanda could get super clingy, and that gave her room to be more assertive about people staying with her. “Don’t go!”

“Inside voice, little miss” he chastised. “You don’t have to yell.”

She looked down. “Sorry. Please don’t go away?”

“Nobody is leaving. You get scared of that too much,” he sighed, “Come on.” 

Wanda held his hand, rubbing her cheek against his sleeve and breathing in his scent. “I love you.”

“I love you too, princess.” He opened the door to Natasha’s room. “Hey Nat, there’s a super annoying little bug that wants to see you.”

Wanda looked up at him, suddenly terrified. “I’m annoying?” 

“Oh, baby,” he looked slightly guilty, “I’m teasing you, that’s all. Forget I said that, okay?”

Natasha clicked her tongue. “You leave her alone, Barton. Come here, baby girl. Come to Mommy.” 

Wanda ran over to the bed and climbed up, grabbing her mother’s shirt. “Stay? Please?”

“Mommy’s going to stay,” she said soothingly, “Do you need cuddles for a little while?”

Wanda put her hand on Natasha’s breast. “Please?”

She didn’t miss a beat. “You want to nurse? Lie down, sweetie. Probably better to do it when your brother’s-never mind. C’mere.”

Relieved, Wanda lay sideways and latched onto her, letting Natasha cradle her head and stroke her hair gently. 

“Good girl,” Natasha murmured after breathing a sigh of relief, like it was something that provided her happiness too. “Oh, my poor baby. You really needed this, didn’t you? I’m sorry, I know it’s been awhile.” She’d nursed Wanda quite a bit before, and Steve, Sam and Clint never thought anything of it. But things were different now. Natasha felt bad for being a little resentful of the way Pietro was with his sister-after all, he’d always been her primary caregiver. But Natasha took care of her just fine too, and she didn’t need someone else telling her how to do her job. That kind of thing had always driven her crazy. What did Pietro think she’d done with Wanda for a year, just let her cry? He could at least acknowledge that she wasn’t an incompetent parent. 

Wanda started to whimper and squirm after about five minutes, and Natasha shushed her, smoothing her hair back. “Mommy’s got you, little one. Shhh. You’re okay. Are you all done?”

She didn’t move, so Natasha took that as a no. She kept rubbing circles on her back and whispering what she hoped would keep her calm. 

“Are you my sweet baby girl?” She cooed, “You’re Mommy’s princess, aren’t you? I love you so much. You’re just the most perfect little one in the world.”

Natasha never would have envisioned herself speaking this way to anyone, but it was so _nice._ It was rare that she got to feel so loved and safe, so at ease with herself and her surroundings. She had someone who needed her, not for information or as an asset on a mission. Wanda needed her because she trusted Natasha to take care of her. And that was the best feeling in the world. 

Steve pushed the door open and said softly, “She okay?”

“Yeah, I’m just nursing her. Pietro back yet?”

“He texted me. Should be on his way. Sam and I are going to turn in early.”

“That’s fine,” Natasha shrugged. “Whatever you do, don’t be too loud-”

“Nat!”

“Hey, I know you guys have…urges,” she winked at him. “Can’t blame ya. I’ll put this one down for the night after this. And I should probably change her too, or she’s going to wake up fussy in the middle of it.”

He nodded and leaned against the doorway. “Everything with you and Pietro okay?”

She rolled her eyes. “Don’t ask.” 

“Do we need to stage some kind of intervention for you two?”

“No way.”

“That’s what I thought,” he laughed softly. “Night, Nat. Goodnight, baby girl.” 

 

 

The lights were out by the time Pietro got back. He clutched the folder in his hands so tightly that his knuckles turned white. He’d never been so full of pure rage and numbness at the same time. He felt sick. 

Clint had left his laptop on the couch. Pietro sat down and opened it slowly, taking a deep breath. 

Phil had told him what watching it might do to him, and he wasn’t entirely sure what it was that possessed him to do it. But before he could convince himself otherwise, his hands moved in a blur and put the DVD into the slot on the side of the computer. 

The whole thing was like watching a nightmare. His sister was in a straitjacket. She was crying. They were hurting her. That alone was enough to make him start to cry. 

The screen flickered and the camera switched to what looked like a lab. She was there again, tied down and helpless and they were cutting into her. Experimenting  and testing in brutal ways they’d only experienced with Hydra. 

After awhile, some of the doctors started to file out, and Wanda was left alone.

With them. 

Pietro held his breath. 

_don’t look don’t look don’t look_

He should have torn his eyes away. But he was watching it happen and there was nothing he could do. 

She was crying. She was crying and she needed him. 

Pietro took the DVD out and slammed the laptop shut so hard that the screen could have shattered before he ran to the bathroom. 

Super speed was a nice thing to have. He would have thrown up on the floor. 


	27. Chapter 27

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all the comments, guys! <3

It had been about five minutes since Pietro had moved. 

All he could do was stare at the wall in front of him, doing his best to try and come to terms with what he had just seen. It probably wasn’t going to happen.

He couldn’t get the sound of her crying out of his head or the voices of the men who had done that to her. It was going to be burned into his mind forever. 

He didn’t realize he was crying for a few minutes when he suddenly wondered where the huge, heaving, gasps were coming from and realized it was himself. Pietro gathered up the files, the DVD, and put it all back into the folder that Phil had given him. 

He wanted to set it on fire. 

Instead, he went back to the room he shared with Wanda and slipped it underneath the bed. She wasn’t there-probably with one of the others. Again, even though he wanted nothing more than to hold her close. 

Pietro’s hand brushed against something else under the bed and he frowned. Wanda usually liked to pick up her stuff, it made her feel useful. She didn’t stick anything under her bed. 

It was a piece of paper. No, two of them. He pulled them out and switched on the lights to see better. He immediately wished that he hadn’t. 

Wanda wasn’t the greatest artist in the world, but anyone could tell what she’d been trying to draw. Pietro felt his hands start to shake. 

There were more under the bed. So many more. And they were all covered in pictures of things she shouldn’t even have been thinking about. Covered in pictures of sex. Dark monsters scribbled and looming in corners. Girls in pink dresses, crying. More monsters. More sex. And on every page, hearts scribbled across and _I love you_ written over and over. 

Pietro didn’t mean to let out any kind of scream, but he couldn’t help it when a strangled cry came out of his mouth. His heart felt like it was in pieces. 

There was the sound of feet padding across the hall, and then the door opened. “Pietro?”

Great. Just the person he wanted to see. “Go away, Natasha.” 

He didn’t look at her, but he assumed she didn’t move. The door creaked a little as she leaned against it and said, “What’s going on?”

“Nothing! Fuck off!” 

Of course that didn’t faze her. Nothing did. “Do you want me to go get Clint?”

“No,” he was sobbing now, “I want my sister. My baby sister.” 

“She’s asleep. I mean, she wakes up in the night sometimes so…” she looked down at the floor, “What’s all that?”

Wordlessly, Pietro tossed a few of the drawings over to her, not meeting her eyes while she looked through. When he finally did look up, Natasha’s face had drained of color.

“What the fuck,” she said in an eerily calm whisper, “What the fuck is this?”

“Ask _her_. She drew them.” 

“I-she doesn’t-” Natasha seemed at a loss for words, “No.”

“Well, they’re under her bed,” Pietro stood up shakily, “She drew them, and you didn’t fucking notice.”

“I-don’t fucking put this on me.” She dropped the drawings onto the ground as if they had burned her. “You didn’t notice either.”

“You had her all to yourself for a _year!”_

“She hasn’t been drawing these for a year! You know why she’d be confused about stuff like that!”

Pietro balled his hands into fists. “Oh, I know. It’s because she got raped when you were supposed to be watching her.”

Natasha banged her fist against the wall. “Don’t you think I wanted to be there to help, you stupid bastard?”

“It wouldn’t have happened if I had been here!” He shouted back, “I would never let anything happen to her because I love her, and if you did, you would have-”

“Do not question how much I love my daughter! Don’t you _dare_ fucking question that!”

They were both practically screaming at each other now. “I wouldn’t have to question it if this hadn’t happened! You’re taking her away from me!”

“Then you shouldn’t have fucking gone and gotten yourself killed you stupid bastard! She’s been fine with me!”

“No, she hasn’t! Look at this!” Pietro motioned to the pictures, “You know what? I’m taking her away from you as soon as I can!”

Natasha took a step forward, eyes flashing dangerously. “You are _not_ taking my little girl!” 

Before Pietro could respond, a new voice in the mix yelled, “Jesus Christ, what are you two doing?”

In the doorway behind them, Steve was standing bleary eyed and furious, with Sam and Clint in his wake. Wanda was clinging to Clint’s leg, looking absolutely terrified. 

Pietro realized again how loud they had been being. Natasha seemed to understand it too, and immediately took a step back, rubbing her forehead.

“I hope there’s a good explanation for why you two are in here screaming at each other and acting like you’re in some custody battle,” Steve said coolly. 

“I-I just…” Pietro trailed off. He felt numb.

“Go back to sleep, Rogers.” Natasha had regained some of her usual composure. “I’ve got it under control.”

“Doesn’t sound like it,” he noticed the papers at their feet. “What’s that?”

Wanda’s eyes traveled down to where his were, and she suddenly burst into tears. “No! No, no, no!”

Pietro looked at her warily, “Did you draw those?”

“You weren’t s’posed to see!”

“What _is_ it?” Steve stepped forward, stopping when Wanda practically jumped in front of him. “Daddy, don’t! Please!”

“Steve, we’ll talk about this later,” Natasha said softly, “I’m putting her back in bed.”

“Nope. I am,” Clint shook his head. “And you two have some stuff to work out.” 

 

 

Steve and Sam had had their fair share of conflicts, but they’d always been resolved quickly, and usually ended with one of them turning on the Trouble Man soundtrack in order to make the other one smile. 

Somehow, Steve didn’t get the feeling that Marvin Gaye was going to help them too much now.

After Pietro had explained to them what the drawings had been of and Natasha gave him a somewhat vague idea of how the fight had started, Steve put a hand up. “You two should know that when you were fighting over who gets to have Wanda, you scared the _hell_ out of her. And of us too, to be honest.” 

Natasha raised an eyebrow. “Is this you being team leader?” 

“This is me being a friend to both of you,” Steve reached over and squeezed Sam’s hand, who still seemed somewhat shocked over what had just happened. “I-trust me, I’m sick over those drawings. I’m sick over what happened.”

“We both are,” Sam said, “But if you two actually want what’s best for her, you can’t just do things like what you just did. If you’re fighting over her, there’s a point where one of you might really want to make it legal. That shouldn’t happen.” 

Pietro stiffened. “I just want what’s best for her.” 

“So do I,” Natasha told him, “So you can stop acting like I don’t.” 

He glared at her while Steve cut in. “I think you should both see a counselor. Pietro, you on your own, and then one maybe together. To talk through some of your issues.”  
Sam nodded. “I know you don’t want to, kid. But trust me, it can help. It’ll take time, but it can help. Because the kind of thing that happened tonight? That’s what happens when you don’t take care of how you’re feeling.”

“And you know how that is.”

“I’m still working on it,” he said wryly, “Maybe now’s a good time for _you_ to start.” 

 

 

Clint figured that neither he nor Wanda were going to get to sleep. Instead of trying to force it, he got a ton of blankets and read her _Pat the Bunny_ and _Corduroy_ until they had both calmed down enough to sit and cuddle in silence for a little while. Wanda was wrapped securely in his arms, her head resting on his chest. Clint patted her bottom gently and hummed a song that he hoped would calm the nerves she was undoubtedly feeling. He’d seen Natasha like that only a few times before. It really took a lot to set her off in the way she had been with Pietro.

“Does Mommy and Pietro hate each other?” Wanda asked him quietly. 

“No, baby. They just had a fight. Sometimes people argue, but that doesn’t mean they can’t be friends anymore.” 

“I don’t want them to fight ‘cause of me.” 

“They’ve both fought worse people over way more terrible things than you,” he said firmly, “So don’t worry about that either. They just have some issues to work through, that’s all.”

“They should give hugs.”

“Probably.” He laughed a little bit at the idea. “I think they just have to decide that they _want_ to get along. And I’m sure they will. Now it’s time for you to get some sleep.” 

“M’not tired.” 

“I’m not arguing.” He pulled her fingers out of her mouth. “Hey. Don’t do that.” 

She blushed. “Sorry. I won’t.” 

Clint sighed and held her close, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. He wanted to ask her what the drawings had been of, but he already had a pretty good idea of what it might have been, and he didn’t really want to have it confirmed. “I love you. My little princess.”

“Love you too,” she mumbled, “I go goodnight now.”

He didn’t bother to correct her grammar. “That’s right, baby. I’ll be right here with you. I promise.” 

 

Wanda flat out refused to go out and see the others the next day. Clint tried to drag her out of the bedroom, which only resulted in the two of them getting into a small scuffle. 

“You’re not staying in here all day, missy,” he told her firmly, “You can either listen, or you’re going in time out.” 

“They saw!” Wanda said desperately, “They saw it!”

“Saw what?” He picked her up, ignoring her struggling in his arms. It was pretty rare for her to actually throw tantrums, but if she got really upset, she could do it. 

“Pictures!” She sobbed, “Mine!”

“Wanda, they’re not mad about that. Okay? I really don’t want to put you in the corner right now, so please behave for me.”

Wanda rubbed her eyes with her fists, sniffling. It took a minute, but she eventually choked out, “I-I be good.” 

“Thank you,” he kissed her forehead and took her hand. Sam was talking on the phone while Steve was making coffee. Pietro and Natasha were sitting on opposite ends of the table, glowering at each other. Clint could have cut the tension between them with a knife. 

“That sounds perfect,” Sam said into the phone, “Thanks so much, Dr. Samson. We’ll see you later.”

Pietro looked at Clint blankly. “They’re making me see a shrink.” 

“Him _and_ I,” Natasha corrected him. “Family counselor.” 

“Well, that’ll be good for you guys,” Clint shrugged. Wanda was grabbing onto his leg and refusing to look at anyone but him. “When?”

“Dr. Samson wants to see Wanda today,” Sam said, putting his phone in his pocket. “Same office has the lady that Pietro and Natasha are going to be talking to.”

“If she makes us do any stupid trust exercises, I’m out,” Pietro said loudly. 

Natasha nodded. “Yeah, me too.” 

“See? You guys are agreeing on something already,” Steve said lightly. “Can I have a hug, Wanda? It’s okay if you don’t want to right now.” 

She shook her head and kept looking down at the floor. Steve seemed unfazed and just handed a cup of coffee to Sam. “Clint’s going to help you get dressed and then we’re gonna go, okay?”

In Wanda’s hand, Lorna twitched. _I’ll go with you. It’s gonna be okay._


	28. Chapter 28

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for all the lovely comments, guys. <3

Pietro was trying his hardest to find something wrong with Doctor Ashley Kafka, and even if she seemed perfectly nice and normal at first glance, he had promised himself he’d find it. Or at the very least, he could make something up and convince himself it was true. Anything to get out of therapy with Natasha. Jesus, how had Steve and Sam roped him into doing this? Even the office was as bad as he had expected, with its sickly sweet floral wallpaper, attempt at soothing music playing, and signs on the walls with messages of encouragement. There was a plant that was starting to wilt in the corner, right next to a table with a few magazines and what looked like a fidget toy. Pietro hated everything about this place without trying to justify it-he just knew that he didn’t want to be there. 

Natasha probably wasn’t too happy about it either, but she put on a way better poker face than he did. She drummed her fingers on the armrest of the couch, looking up at the ceiling fan while Dr. Kafka shuffled through her notes. 

“So. Pietro and Natasha,” she said, “I hear you’ve been having some problems living together.” 

Neither one of them said anything so she just continued on. “Does either one of you feel like talking about what’s causing these problems?” 

It didn’t look like Natasha was going to be the first one to speak. Pietro sighed and muttered, “I haven’t done anything.” 

Natasha scoffed, “Bullshit.” 

Dr. Kafka didn’t miss a beat. “Why don’t you feel like you’ve done anything wrong?”

“Because it’s her fault! Wanda is my sister and I’ve _always_ taken care of her. She doesn’t need anyone else but now Natasha feels like she can just come in and-”

“I’m not taking her away from you,” Natasha told him, “If anything, you’re taking her away from me. And she’s already obsessed with you, in case you couldn’t tell.” 

“Wanda is your sister, correct?” Dr. Kafka flipped through her notes, “And adopted daughter.”   
“Not officially adopted. I’d like to make it official,” Natasha said, ignoring the look on Pietro’s face, “Steve and Sam and I took care of her for about a year while Pietro was regenerating.” 

“And you enjoyed that time as a parent?” 

“It’s been the best thing I could have asked for,” she admitted, “She was a mess for a while after he…died. But she started getting so much happier. And I was really happy too. Then Pietro decided to come back and tell me I’m not allowed to be in her life anymore. Nice, right?”

“That’s not what I said and you know it!” 

“You told me last night that you’re going to take her away from me. I don’t know how else I’m supposed to see it.” 

“I have good reasons to take her away from you! She’s in the headspace of a toddler and she’s drawing pictures of rape and monsters! That’s not normal and she _never_ did that when it was just me and her-”

“Don’t act like you were so much better off when it was just you and her! She was working in a factory all day and you were on the streets!”

“We didn’t have a choice!”

“Oh, Jesus. I’m not saying you had a choice.”

Dr. Kafka spoke up again. Her voice was soft, but it somehow managed to grab the attention of both of them right away. “I want both of you to listen to me for just a second, okay? I see a lot of blame being thrown around here. But the good thing is, I see a lot of love too. The important thing for you both to realize is that it’s not a competition.”

“He made it into a competition,” Natasha said defensively, “As soon as he showed up he got all possessive.” 

“Dr. Kafka’s about to tell you that you’re placing blame again.” 

She cut in. “As a matter of fact, that _is_ what I was going to say. I want to make sure I have both perspectives. Pietro, why do you feel the need to take your sister away from Natasha?” 

“Because something-something terrible happened to her while she was supposed to be taking care of her!” He snapped, “And then she acts like I was the one who didn’t do a good enough job protecting her! We never get any time together and its because she takes all of it up! Even Steve isn’t as bad as you are.” 

Dr. Kafka wrote something down. “And Natasha, how do you feel about it?” 

She gave Pietro an icy glare. “I love my daughter. I wanted to protect her from everything, and I found out the hard way that I couldn’t. She needs to be with me and he doesn’t want to deal with it.” 

Pietro opened his mouth to respond, but stopped when he noticed the doctor leaning forward slightly and shoving her glasses up the bridge of her nose. “Pietro, why do you find it reasonable to blame Natasha for what happened to your sister?” 

She didn’t ask it in an accusatory tone, but he couldn’t help but feel defensive. “I-she was supposed to protect her!”

“I understand. And I think any parent would want to protect their child. But I’m asking you why you find it reasonable to place the blame on her specifically. Why not someone else?”

He crossed his arms across his chest like a shield. He had been right, therapy sucked. “I don’t know, okay?” 

“You may not feel like you know, but there’s always a reason behind our emotions, no matter how strange they may seem,” she said, “Our job is to get to the root of these emotions with you two. When there’s a third…vulnerable party involved and two people are very protective over that person, it can turn into a cage match.”

Neither one of them could argue with that. Natasha wasn’t even glaring at Pietro anymore, and he couldn’t bring himself to make any kind of snarky comment. 

“Based on what I understand,” Dr. Kafka said, “Neither one of you are used to sharing Wanda’s time and attention as much as you’ve been forced to. Both of you went through periods of time where you practically had her all to yourselves. And because you’re so disconnected from each other right now, you both feel like you have the right to be the most important person in her life. Does that make sense?”  

Neither said anything, but Natasha nodded quietly. 

“Getting through this is going to be a tough process,” she said, “But I’m going to tell you now, that if you’re both constantly fighting, you’re both contributing to an unhealthy environment for her and the rest of your family to live in.” 

“We don’t… _constantly_ fight.” They just made snide remarks and threw cold glances at each other every now and then. “What happened last night, that’s the worst thing that’s happened between us.”

“What do you think led to it? I assume there was some buildup.”

Natasha finally spoke. “Whenever I get some time with her, he always wants her to himself. Wanda _likes_ being with me. And I’m a good parent, he just doesn’t want to think that I am so he has an excuse to take her away.” 

Pietro rolled his eyes. “That’s not true.” 

“Explain it then. Do get mad when you see me with her or do you not?”

“I…” he took a deep breath, trying to resist the urge to yell. “I don’t know. Fine. I guess sometimes I do. But you get the same way when you see her with me.” 

“I wouldn’t if you’d just let me have some time with her!”

“There has to be a compromise somewhere in here,” Dr. Kafka told them, “You both want time with her. That’s okay. You just need to learn how to make it work without getting jealous of one another. That’s a big issue here.” 

Pietro would have argued that he was _not_ jealous of Natasha, but deep down, he knew it was true. He kept his mouth shut.

 

 

Steve looked over his shoulder at the wall, as if they could somewhere hear Pietro and Natasha from a few rooms away and said under his breath, “I sure hope they haven’t killed each other.” Wanda still wasn’t looking at him. She hadn’t let him do her hair that morning the way he always did, so instead of being up in two ponytails, it was covering her face. She was playing with kinetic sand in a little wooden box, rolling it into balls and then pressing them together. That kind of thing could occupy her for hours on end. Dr. Samson was standing just out of her line of sight, looking at some of the drawings that Steve had brought with to show him. Wanda would have flipped out if she knew anyone else was looking at them, so it was probably a good thing that she was distracted at the moment. 

Dr. Samson handed the sheets of paper back to Steve and sat next to Wanda, smiling. “What are you making?”

She shrugged. She’d been silent most of the day. 

“I heard that there’s been a lot of things you’re struggling with that you haven’t felt like talking about,” he said gently, “Do you feel like talking about what happened last night?”

She mumbled something Steve couldn’t hear. Dr. Samson nodded. “That sounds like a scary thing to be feeling. Do you feel okay asking your dad about it?”

Wanda hesitated, drawing backwards and crossing her arms over her chest. She looked up at Steve and asked in a whisper, “Are you mad?”

Steve shook his head. “No, baby. I’m not mad. I promise.” 

“The pictures-”

“I’m not mad about that, Wanda. It’s okay,” he met her eyes, “I’m not mad.” 

She retained her fearful look for another few seconds, then jumped up and ran into his arms, hiding her face in his neck. Steve breathed a sigh of relief and rubbed her back soothingly. “I love you, okay? I’ll always love you. Do you feel okay to keep talking?”

“I think it might help if you hold her for a little while,” Dr. Samson said, “We can still talk if she wants. Wanda, did you feel like your mommy and daddy were mad at you because of some pictures you drew?”

She nodded. 

“Okay,” he said, “Let’s say they were mad-they’re not, but _if_ they were, what would happen. What happens when people get mad?”

Wanda lifted her head slightly and mumbled. “They hit.”

“Has someone hit you before?” 

She put a hand on her face. “Hard.” 

“Do Mom and Dad ever hit you?” 

That seemed to take her aback a little bit. “N-no. Vision hits. And other people.” 

“And where are they now?” 

She shrugged and hid her face again. Steve pressed a kiss to her shoulder and rocked her a little bit. 

“They’re not here, right?” Dr. Samson hedged, “They can’t hurt you. But right now you’re cuddling with dad, and he doesn’t hit you. I think you’re in a really safe place right now. Nobody is going to hit you.” 

Wanda seemed a lot less stiff and closed off, but Steve could still sense little bits of fear in her. “What if I’m bad?”

“I don’t think you’re ever bad. But if you mean when you break a rule-I promise that even then, nobody will hit you.”

“But I did something _really_ bad.” 

Steve’s heartbeat quickened. He couldn’t think of anything else other than what had happened on The Raft that she could be talking about. 

Dr. Samson was talking again. “Do you feel like telling me about that?”

She shook her head no. 

“That’s okay. You’re actually doing really great,” he smiled, “And if you don’t want to talk about that, you don’t have to. Can we talk about how you’re feeling right now?”

Wanda didn’t answer right away. She was sucking her thumb, and Steve tried to keep himself from reprimanding her for it until he noticed that she was biting again. “Oh, sweetie. We don’t do that, remember?” 

Wanda took her thumb out of her mouth obediently and pursed her lips together. Steve looked at Dr. Samson somewhat helplessly. “She bites herself a lot. Pacifiers kinda help with that, but she still pulls her hair and scratches herself.”

“I don’t think we’ve talked about that a whole lot either,” he nodded. “Would you be open to being more involved in these sessions, Steve?” 

He looked surprised. “I mean, sure. Why?” 

“Because you can provide a level of comfort that helps her open up,” he explained, “And I think there are some exercises we can do that’ll help you with your relationship too.” 

“I’m willing to do anything. Really.” Steve looked down at his daughter and stroked her hair. “Anything in the world.”


	29. Chapter 29

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the short and crappy chapter, guys! Next one will hopefully be better.

Pietro was trying as hard as he could to keep himself from _hating_ Natasha. He didn’t like her, not yet. But fine. He’d try not to totally hate her for everyone else’s sake. Not just his. 

Steve seemed thrilled that therapy had gone well for them, even if “going well,” just meant that they hadn’t yet murdered each other. Pietro had to admit, it hadn’t gone as badly as it could have. Dr. Kafka had managed to at least let him get out what he’d wanted to say, and Natasha had stayed quiet long enough to listen. Of course, that meant he had to listen to her too, but it hadn’t been total torture in the end. 

Natasha stopped at the grocery store on the way home and asked him if he wanted anything. 

“How about something I can drink myself to death with?”

“What a terrible loss that would be.”

“Nat,” Steve sighed, “I thought you guys were trying to work things out.”

“Well, don’t expect it to happen overnight. And I believe what we’re trying to do is tolerate each other.” She opened the car door and let Wanda out. “Hold my hand and don’t wander off.”

“Did you like the doctor, Mommy?”

Natasha shrugged. “She was cool. I mean, it’s not her fault that I had to sit in there with your brother and listen to him-”

“Natasha interrupted me every time I tried to say something,” Pietro cut in loudly, “It was so annoying.”

Steve grumbled something that sounded vaguely along the lines of, “Be civil for one fucking minute.” He pulled the baseball cap he was wearing low over his eyes as they walked in. Thankfully, it was busy and they were unlikely to be noticed. 

Wanda looked up at Pietro. “Up?”

“Not now.” 

She tugged on his jacket. “Please, please?” 

“No. Behave,” he put an arm around her, ignoring the look Natasha gave him. “I’ll buy you something if you’re good.”

She opened her mouth, then shut it quickly. He knew what she had been about to say. _We don’t have enough money._ They were both still getting used to not having to go entire days hungry. 

“Don’t buy,” she said finally, speaking in Sokovic, “I’ll be good.” 

Pietro kissed the top of her head. “I know, I know. You’re fine. How did it go with your doctor?”

Wanda pressed her fingers to her mouth. “I made sand things. It’s magic. But not my magic. He has purple.” 

“Purple what?” 

“Sand. Lorna and me did castles.”

He pretended to know what she was talking about. “That sounds like fun. Was it a big castle?” 

She held her arms out. “I pretended this big.” 

Pietro laughed and gave her a hug. “I think you have the biggest imagination of anyone I’ve ever met. Maybe next time I can see your castle.” 

“Did you and Mommy have sand too?”

“No, we just talked. It was boring. You wouldn’t like it.” He pulled a box of cereal off the shelf and handed it to Steve. “Don’t bite your fingers.” 

Steve asked, “What are you guys talking about?”

“Sand,” Wanda told him, “Remember?”

“I remember. You made a very nice castle,” he told her, ruffling her hair a little bit. “Do you grape or apple juice?”

“Apple. Please.” Her voice had suddenly gone quiet, her face nervous. “Home now?”

“Not yet, princess. We’re almost ready to go. What’s wrong?” 

Wanda shuffled her feet a little and looked down. “Nothing. Up, please?”

 “Sweetheart, be patient. I know you want to cuddle.” Part of what they had talked about with Dr. Samson was how physical affection was a big part of the process they were going to have to go through. Steve knew that Wanda needed to be held, she’d always needed it, but it had never occurred to him that it might be out of a need for something more than a desire for attention. “You can give hugs at home. Are you sure you’re okay?” 

She rocked back and forth on her feet. “I made castles.” 

Steve sighed. “You know, that’s how I can tell something’s wrong. You’re changing the subject.” It was the tactic of a toddler, which really, should have been what he expected. 

“Do you need to go night night? I know it’s about your naptime. Come on, we’re almost done. Hold onto me.” 

Wanda held onto his arm and walked slowly, pressing her legs together. “I’m good.”

“I know you are,” he assured her, “How about you and your brother go wait in the car for a few minutes while we finish up in here?”

Natasha cleared her throat. “I don’t know if that’s a good idea.”

Pietro stared. “Why?”

 She shrugged. “Just being careful.” 

“I can handle sitting with her in a parked car,” he snapped. 

“Last night you said you were going to take her away from me, so forgive me if I’m a little weary of you taking her out of my sight.” 

“You’re unbelievable,” he grabbed Wanda’s hand and stormed away before she could say anything else. Natasha Romanov was going to make his head explode. 

Wanda climbed into the backseat of the car after him and lay her head in his lap. Pietro took hold of her hand before she put her thumb in her mouth again. “Are you tired, honey?”

“Hungry.”

“I’ll get you something to eat at home.” His fingers stroked her hair.

“Nurse?”

“I mean, you can play hospital if you want,” he shrugged. “Did you see the snow starting to come down?”

Wanda made a face. “I don’t like snow.” 

Winter in Sokovia hadn’t been kind to the people who had lost their homes. Pietro didn’t exactly love snow either, but he tried to look on the bright side. “You can make a snowman.”

“Like Anna?”

“Sure.” 

“You be Elsa. ‘Cause your hair,” she smiled up at him, “And I’m Anna. When Jemma came over we played princess and she was Ariel. Can they come play soon?” 

“Ask Steve and Sam. I’m sure they can.” Pietro wondered what his next meeting with Phil was going to be like. He still hadn’t decided exactly what he was going to do with the men in the file, but it was eating away at him. 

He didn’t think any amount of therapy would take away the rage he felt towards them and what they had done. There was nothing that wasn’t going to make him not want to suffer. He’d tried so hard to protect his sister’s innocence. Any late night sex was out of her line of sight and hearing range.

Maybe that was the problem. Maybe it _was_ his fault. He hadn’t explained it to her. Maybe if he had…

“Pietro,” Wanda hid her face in his lap. “Can you be my brother forever and ever?”

He leaned down and gave her a kiss. “I’ll always be your brother. I’ll always love you.”

“Can I be your cat?”

“You can pretend you’re a cat. You’re my baby sister.” 

She turned her head up and meowed, giggling right after. “You pretend too?”

“I am _not_ meowing.” Pietro pulled her up and positioned her so she was sitting in his lap. Wanda made a slight noise of discomfort at first, but settled into her position quickly. She leaned on her brother’s shoulder and started to watch the little flurries of snow falling outside. 

 

 

Steve put a bag of goldfish into the cart and pushed it forward. “Let’s get going before the roads get bad.”

“Uh-huh.” Natasha let her red hair cover her face in part, leaving enough room so her green eyes could flash across the store, looking for any signs of potential trouble. 

They were safe for now. 

“Where do you think Vision is?” Steve asked her, “I haven’t heard anything about it from Tony.”

“I bet Tony doesn’t know or he’d tell you. And Vision’s just laying low with General Douchebag.” She started to scan a few items at the self checkout. “I honestly still shudder thinking of all the times he was alone with her.” 

Steve had to agree. Vision had been alone with Wanda on many occasions before, and they had never thought anything of it. Now the very thought made him almost ill. 

“Dr. Samson wants me-us, or whoever’s with her-to get more involved in sessions,” he told her, “And he gave me so pamphlets on therapeutic parenting. I think it looks really helpful. I mean, a lot of it has to do with getting your kid to attach to you, and she doesn’t have any problems with that, but a lot of it could still help.”  

“I’ll take a look later.” She finished checking out and handed him a bag. “Let’s go. God, if he took off with her-”

Steve groaned, “Nat. C’mon.” 

“Don’t tell me it hasn’t crossed your mind.”

“I don’t have the same longstanding feud with Pietro that you do,” he noted, “Maybe you guys just have personalities that are meant to clash.” 

“Maybe. I don’t know,” she sighed. “I do know that last night was bad.” 

“Well, I was upset too. Just not at him. Nothing to do about that now,” he shrugged, “Let’s go home.” 


	30. Chapter 30

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is late, guys. Finals are being a bitch. But I hope you like this! Thank you for all your comments.

Steve shook some of the snow out of his hair before walking inside and giving Sam a kiss on the cheek. “Anything interesting happen while we were gone?”

“Unless you count the weather report as interesting, no. It looks like we’ll be getting a few inches,” he replied, “Don’t track snow on the floor.” 

“You got it, boss.” Steve grinned. “I think I’m just going to make lunch. And I want to talk to you about a few things Dr. Samson told me about.”

“Speaking of therapy, how’d it go with the Terrible Two?” Sam asked, leaning against the countertop with a mug in his hand. “No tearing each other apart?”

“Not quite yet. They really had it out at the store,” he sighed, “I guess these things take time, right?” 

Sam nodded slowly. “It’s not going to happen overnight, you’re right about that. Hey, Pietro.” 

He was still hanging his coat up, and only muttered a flat, “Hey,” in response. Wanda was on the floor, rubbing her eyes with her fists. Steve walked over and picked her up. “Hey, pretty girl. Do you need a nap?” 

“I don’t know,” she had started to cry a little bit and her hands were shaking. “I-I don’t know! I just…” she trailed off, looking nervously over her shoulder before jumping up and scampering to her room. Natasha clicked her tongue and held up a hand to Steve, a signal for _I can handle this one._

If Wanda ran away, it was usually because she was avoiding something. Most of the time, her separation anxiety kept her from leaving the side of someone she trusted for very long, so Natasha was pretty sure she must be feeling significantly scared.

“Baby, what’s going on?” She opened the door and knelt down next to her on the floor. “Can you talk to Mommy about it?”

Wanda buried her face in her hands. “I-I had an accident when we were at the store, and I didn’t mean to, promise, and I don’t want to get in trouble-”

Natasha pulled her into a hug before she could say anything else. “Honey, that’s not a big deal. It happens, okay? It’s not your fault. But if you’ve been wet since we were at the store I’m sure you’re not very comfortable. No wonder you seem unhappy.” 

“I’m _so_ sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry,” she said firmly, “I should have noticed, really. But sweetie, you have to get better at telling us when that happens. You’re not ever going to be in trouble for it. Come on, I’ll get you dry and you’ll feel better.”

Wanda rubbed her eyes again, but nodded and lay down. “Mommy?” 

“What is it, baby girl?”

“Where’s Vision?” 

Natasha recoiled slightly, disturbed by the fact that he was apparently still on her mind. “I’m not exactly sure…but I know that he’s too far away to get to you.”

“What if he does?” She kicked her feet in the air slightly until Natasha gently pushed them back down.

“Mommy and Daddy will make sure he doesn’t hurt you. And Sam and Clint and…Pietro,” she said that last part rather begrudgingly. 

Still, no matter what issues she had with Pietro, it was a somewhat nice thought knowing that he would probably kick that android’s ass the first chance he got. 

“Mad at me.” Wanda’s voice was slurred, since she was sucking on two of her fingers.

“Vision’s just being a jerk. Don’t worry about him.” What she really wanted to say was, _“He’s a complete fucking pervert and a jackass, if I saw him now I’d punch him in that stupid robot face of his, oh God, I left you alone with him all those times. I left you alone with him, he went into your room, oh God, oh God, oh God.”_

“He said he was gonna spank me.” 

Natasha stiffened. “Well, he knows the rules. Your dad and I don’t spank you, and neither can anyone else.”

She looked relieved. “He can’t? Even if he’s growed up?”

“You do not ever have to do anything he says, and nobody is ever allowed to hit you. Or touch you in a way you don’t like. You have to tell someone you trust if that ever happens, okay?” She finished taping up the sides and cleaned up. “All done, baby. Thank you for being so good.”

“Play now?”

“You can play until lunch. Do you want Mommy to play with you?” 

She nodded eagerly, holding her arms outstretched. “Kisses.”

Natasha was somewhat surprised that the girl seemed to crave so much physical affection after what she had been through, but she wasn’t going to deny it to her. She got on her level and wrapped her up in her arms, pressing kisses all over her face.Wanda giggled, “Mommy!”

“I’m sorry, you’re just way too cute,” she grinned, pulling back. “I have to give you lots of love. That’s Parenting 101.”

“I want nurse,” Wanda said decidedly, then asking in a hopeful tone, “Please?”

Natasha turned around to see if Pietro was nearby. Well, he seemed busy and she wasn’t going to deny her daughter something as simple as that. 

“C’mere,” she motioned to her. “Just for a little while though. You always fall asleep and I don’t want to have to wake you up to eat lunch. ” 

“How come?”

She rolled her eyes and said playfully, “Last time I checked, you’re a fussy little thing when you get up from naps. Come to Mommy, princess.” 

Even with the “threat” of Pietro walking in, Natasha felt herself relax as soon as Wanda latched onto her. For them, this was peace and quiet and solace. A few moments together to just forget about everything else that was happening. 

“I love you so much,” she said quietly, “I know things have been hard lately. But I promise, I’m always going to keep you safe.”

They stayed there in silence for awhile until Steve called them, and Wanda detached herself. “Can Jemma come play?”

“I’ll call Melinda and Phil,” Natasha promised her, “I’m sure she wants to see you too. Come on, baby.”

“Are you and Pietro friends now?”

She rolled her eyes. “Um, no way.” 

“Are you trying?”

“We’ll see.”

 

 

Pietro was making it pretty damn hard to try. 

Okay, maybe Natasha was being a _little_ harsh on him too. But goddamn it, he was going out of his way to make himself unlikeable. While Wanda and Clint played with Barbies on the floor after lunch, he was sitting on one end of the room, glaring at Natasha. She fixed him with a steely gaze right back, unmoving. It was only until Sam loudly told them to knock it the hell off that Pietro looked away.

“You two are being ridiculous,” Steve sighed, “I’m so glad you’re going to therapy. I just feel bad for the doctor.”

“I feel bad for her too. She has to listen to Pietro run his mouth for an hour.”

“Oh for fucks sake, Nat-”

Wanda looked up curiously. “Did you say fuck?”

Steve blanched. “No. Don’t repeat that.”

She didn’t argue and turned her attention back to Clint. “Miselda’s gonna ask Anna to marry her now. She got her a ring and everything.” 

“Wow. Miselda’s got game. I’m sure Anna wants to marry her.” 

“I’m gonna get married. I don’t know to who. I wanna marry a prince or a princess,” she straightened the dress on her doll a little bit. “Can I be a princess?”

“You’re already a princess,” he reached over and smoothed her hair back gently. “You’re such a pretty girl.” 

Wanda didn’t look like she believed that, but she thanked him anyway and said that she thought he was pretty too. 

It was relatively quiet after that until Steve’s phone rang. Sam gave him a questioning look. “Who is it?”

“Tony,” he frowned as he hit the answer key, “That’s weird. Gimme a second. Hey, what’s up?”

“Hey,” he answered, “Vision’s back.” 

Steve sucked in a sharp breath. “Since when?”

“Since today. He dropped by, wouldn’t tell me where he’s been, but I know,” he sighed. 

“Have you talked to Rhodey about it?”

“Helping to fix my problems isn’t Rhodey’s job. As far as I’m concerned, Vision is my responsibility. I mean, I basically created the guy. But I thought you should know he made another appearance. And he wanted me to convince you to turn yourselves in to Ross. I said no, since I don’t trust the guy as far as I can throw him anymore. I mean, I could probably throw him a good distance with the suit on, but you know what I mean.”

“Thanks, Tony.” 

“Yeah,” he said slowly, “Do you want me to come over there, just in case?”

“You can if you want. It’d be nice to see you anyway…” he trailed off as he noticed that there had just been a knock at the door. “One second.” 

“I’ve got it,” Natasha said, standing up and throwing Pietro one last glare. He ignored it.

The door swung open, and Natasha immediately slammed it shut again. Steve only had to get a glimpse to know who it was. “Tony? You might want to come over like, now.”

In an instant, Vision had walked through the front door. “I see knocking doesn’t do much good after all.” 


	31. Chapter 31

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhh, thank you for the sweet comments, guys! You all make my day.

Steve didn’t fully register what was happening until it was too late. 

Vision was standing in their house, right in front of them and time seemed frozen. 

And then Pietro had him on the ground. 

It must have taken a ton of fucking strength for him to knock the android off his feet. Vision got away in an instant, but it was only a few seconds before Pietro slammed him up against the wall with his hand over his throat, as if he was about to rip his head off. 

“Pietro!” Clint yelled, “Don’t fucking do anything stupid!”

Pietro ignored him. _“I am going to kill you, you fucking son of a bitch!”_

“It’s good to see you too, Mr. Maximoff,” Vision said as calmly as he could, “I’m sorry that your unhappiness with me has manifested in such a way. I truly mean no harm.” 

Pietro turned around, still keeping his grip on the android so he could slam him hard onto the floor before landing a punch in his face that came at what looked like the speed of light. 

Steve probably could have pulled him off, but he didn’t particularly want to. Vision phased through Pietro’s hands and stood up straight. “Might I assume this is about your sister?”

“I swear to God, if you ever, _ever_ fucking touch her, I am going to tear you apart,” Pietro hissed, “Slowly and painfully. There will be _nothing_ you can do to get away from me if you ever lay a fucking hand on her.”

“I admire your passion. Ms. Romanov, I feel I’m not welcome by you either.” 

Natasha had been silent, which was really scarier than anything else she could have shouted. “I should kill you right now. You tried to kill Sam, you took my daughter-”

“I did what I had to do.” 

“I don’t remember trying to kill _you,”_ Sam snapped, “Rhodey might never walk again because of you, and on top of that, you’re working for General Douchebag and his rapist buddies. I really should put your tin ass in the ground right now.”

“And yet,” he held his hands open, “You want to know why I am here.” 

“Not really,” Pietro said calmly before practically throwing Vision against the front door, so hard that there was a small cracking sound in it. Vision retaliated, but froze when Wanda started yelling at him and lit her hands up with red. 

“Leave my brother alone! Leave him _alone!”_

Vision gave her a steely gaze. “I recall telling you before that nice little girls are seen and not heard. Watch your mouth.” 

“You shut the fuck up and leave her alone,” Natasha snapped. 

“If she is to be mine, I do expect a certain level of obedience-”

Pietro looked completely sickened for about one second before he’d pushed the door open and tackled Vision out onto the front lawn. Clint ran after them, waving his hands madly. “We have _neighbors_ you fucking idiots! Do you want them to see us and have our location exposed?”

There were already a few people staring. Clint unsuccessfully tried to pull Pietro off of Vision while yelling at the neighbors across the street to not call the cops. 

Pietro’s knuckles were bruised and bloodied, but he didn’t seem to care. He pinned Vision to the ground and shouted, “You will not ever, ever touch her again, do you understand?” 

“I never fucked her, as much as I wanted to,” Vision told him, “Even if I’m rather sure she’d enjoy it.” 

Pietro probably would have killed him right then if Steve, Natasha and Sam hadn’t finally managed to pull him off. Instead of walking away however, Steve kept Vision on the ground. “You’re a real piece of work, you know that?”

“I’m not the one who broke my family out of prison, Captain.” 

“Did Ross send you here?”

“In a sense. I wanted to talk, not fight. I knew that it would be foolish to go against all of you and cause a scene,” he said, “The general is most interested in the twins and that old friend of yours-”

“No. Tell him to fuck off.” 

“Simply in their powers. Nothing more.”

“I said no!” Steve raised his voice and turned his head to look at a car pulling up the driveway. Tony got out, looking absolutely terrified of the scene in front of him. “Okay. Okay. Shit, shit, shit. Vision, get up.” 

Steve released his grip and let the android stand. Vision looked mildly amused. “Come to take me home, Mr. Stark?” 

“I want to talk to you. Come with me. Please,” Tony said desperately, “Stop this, okay? I’m fucking begging.”

“I don’t believe-”

“Vision. Please.” 

The two of them exchanged a look that lasted nearly thirty seconds before Vision finally relented. “Very well. I’m sorry that our meeting wasn’t more productive, Mr. Maximoff. I look forward to seeing you in the near future. Goodbye, Wanda.”

“Don’t talk to her,” Pietro hissed. His sister had wandered out onto the front lawn, and was now hiding behind him, grabbing onto his waist. “And if I ever see you again-”

“I look forward to it,” Vision cut in smoothly. “Shall we?”

“Go get in the car,” Tony muttered bitterly, “Steve, are you okay?”

“We will be.”

“What the hell is he doing here?” 

He shrugged. “He wants the twins and he mentioned something about an old friend of mine. I assume that’s Bucky.” 

“He doesn’t have any powers.” 

“Yeah, but he was brainwashed into becoming one of the most dangerous assassins in the world,” Steve reminded him, “I’m sure they’d be interested in knowing more about that. Bucky is safe right now, but the twins aren’t. And neither are the rest of us.” 

“I’ll talk to him and call you afterwards,” Tony sighed, “Don’t move just yet, okay?”

 

 

Pietro winced as Clint wrapped his knuckles up tightly. “Fucking hell.”

“Sorry, kid,” Clint muttered, “Almost done. I know it hurts.” 

“I wish I had killed him.”

“Don’t say that. I mean, I would have to, if I didn’t think it was going to cause more trouble than we needed. Vision isn’t worth you going to prison.”

Wanda leaned against her brother and held one of his hands in her own before pressing her lips to it. “I kiss it better.”

He smiled weakly, “Thank you, sweetheart.” 

“Wanda, you can’t play as rough with your brother right now,” Clint told her, “Be careful. That was…really something.” 

“It was worth it,” he said bitterly, “Do you think he’ll come back?”

“He was trying to scare us. And I’m not scared of the tin man. Here, you’re done.” 

Pietro stood up and held his sister close. “Do you think we’ll have to leave?”

“I don’t know. Let’s wait and see. Now you need to go rest.”

“I couldn’t if I tried.” He felt wired and ready to explode. It was like the reality of what had just happened hadn’t really set in yet. 

Natasha had been quietly leaning against the doorway, arms crossed. She finally spoke. “Got a few good punches in there, Maximoff.” 

“I would have let you have a go at him if you’d wanted.”

“I did want to, but we thought it seemed like you had it handled. How’re your hands?”

“Fine.” They really hurt like hell, but he wasn’t about to admit that. “What are Steve and Sam doing?”

“On the phone with Sharon.”

Pietro scooped his sister up, ignoring Clint’s protests. “I just want to have some time with her.”

Surprisingly, Natasha didn’t protest. “Yeah. Okay. Just let me have her tonight.” 

“Fine,” he grumbled, figuring there was no point in arguing. In a flash, he was in the room he and Wanda shared. She got on the bed with him and sat on top of him with her legs around his waist. “Are you having goodnight time?” 

“I’m not tired. I just want to be with you.” He tugged her down gently so her head was resting in the crook of his neck. “Are you okay?” 

“If Vision hurts you I’m gonna kill him.”

“Wanda, don’t say that.” 

“I will!”

“Well I…appreciate it.” If Steve hadn’t been holding her back, she probably _would_ have gone after Vision as soon as she saw them start to fight. “But I don’t need you to do that. And it doesn’t matter. He’s gone now.” 

“Is he gonna come back?”

“I don’t think so.”

“Is he gonna fuck me?”

“No!” That came out far more forcefully than he had meant for it to, which he realized only after Wanda started crying. Pietro internally kicked himself. “Oh, sweetheart. I’m sorry, don’t cry. I’m not mad at you, okay? I promise.” 

“He _is_ gonna fuck me!” She sobbed, “I know he is!”

“He’s not ever going to lay a hand on you. Understand?” Usually he would have reprimanded her for swearing, but there was no point in it. Jesus, she hadn’t even known what sex was over a year ago and now she was terrified that someone was going to-

Pietro tried to push the thought of it out of his head. Instead, he stood up with her still in his arms and swayed from side to side slowly and gently, hoping it would soothe her. “Shhh. I’m here, little one. I’ve got you. Shhh, it’s okay.”  

“You’re _mine,”_ she sobbed, gripping him tightly, “He can’t take you away! I don’t want no one else to have you!”

“He won’t. He can’t hurt us, I promise. Shhh, sweetheart. Take deep breaths.”

“He hurt you!”

“Not badly. He walked away a lot worse off,” he promised her. “Vision is not ever going to touch you or me, or anyone else. Tony has him under control.” Stark was probably the only one out of all of them that Vision would bother to listen to or take seriously. 

Wanda looked up at him, “I won’t ever, ever let anyone hurt you. Not ever again.”

He smiled softly. “Thank you, sweetheart.” 

“And if they do-”

“You’ll kill them. Got it,” he smoothed her hair back, trying to think of something calming he could do with her. “Do you want me to tell you a story?”

She shook her head. “I tell _you_.”

“Oh, really?” he laughed, “Alright, missy. What are you going to tell?” 

“M’thinking,” she mumbled, sucking her thumb again. “Okay. Once upon a time there was a brother, and he was the best brother in the whole world. And he had a sister and she loved him so, so much. And she never let him be hurt. The end.”

“You know what? I think that’s my favorite story now.” He lay back down. “You are the sweetest thing.” 

Wanda blushed and reached up to kiss his forehead. “I be you now.”

“If you pretend to be me, that means you have to be really annoying.”

 She giggled, “No, no! When you put me to sleep.”

“I always thought I was annoying then, too.” 

“No, no,” she shook her head and kissed him again. “Goodnight, angel. I love you so, so much. That’s what you say.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, Vision has fucked up.


	32. Chapter 32

Tony spent about five minutes while driving trying to think of something to say that would help the situation, but all he ended up blurting out was, “What the _hell_ were you thinking?”

Vision was looking out the window. “That is irrelevant now, Mr. Stark.” 

“It’s really not.” He made a sharp turn, “Look, if Steve and I worked stuff out, why can’t you let it go too?” 

“Secretary Ross has a plan for experimentation and research that is strictly…off the books,” Vision said, “He was hoping to get them to come quietly. As you saw, that’s clearly not going to happen.” 

“Yeah, no shit. I wonder why none of us want to hand ourselves over to that maniac,” Tony snapped, “Do you have any idea what he did to Bruce? He basically ruined his life. Ross is _not_ a good guy. Whatever he wants to use their powers for, it won’t help people.”

“I find that difficult to believe.”

“When have I ever lied to you?”

Vision looked away from the window and straight at him. “I am not saying I think you are lying. I mistrust your judgment.”

“It’s not just _my_ judgement! It’s everybody’s! Ask Nick, Sharon, Maria, they’ll all tell you the same thing about him!”

“You agreed to sign the Accords.” 

Tony sighed, “Because at the time it seemed like the right thing to do, even if I didn’t completely trust him. That mess is over. But you’re about to create another one, Vision. Please, please, please don’t trust this guy. What the hell did he promise you to get you to work for him? Money? If you need money, I can give it to you. I can give you anything you want if you just fucking drop this.” 

“He did not offer me anything. I agree that further experimentation on the twins and Mr. Barnes would be an excellent idea. I don’t want your money, Mr. Stark.” 

Tony glared at him. “Can you just leave them-leave all of us-alone?”  
“I do not desire to hurt them unless it becomes necessary. If I marry Wanda-”

Tony almost crashed the car. _“You can’t fucking marry her!”_

Vision remained unfazed. “I’ll only punish her when I see fit. For disobedience, disrespect…both things that unfortunately plague her.”

“Vision. Vision, oh my God. I don’t know if you’ve noticed this or not, so in case you haven’t, I’ll let you in on it. That girl is mentally a toddler. I’ve seen her when she’s pretty much an infant. You can’t marry her. She can’t consent to anything you do. Don’t you get that?”

“That’s quite funny coming from a man who has a long history of sexual conquests.” 

“Sexual conquests where we both wanted to be there! Jesus Christ. You cannot have sex with her and you can’t marry her. End of story.” 

“Nothing you’ve said has changed my mind,” he said coolly, “I’ll take her to Ross, and in between, she will be mine.” 

Tony felt sick and at a loss for words again. He kept on driving, with no particular destination in mind until he finally said, “Have dinner with me.” 

“What?”

“Have dinner with me,” he repeated, “I just…I want to try and talk this out some more.” 

 

Steve walked into the twins’s room to find Pietro sitting on the floor with his sister lying on a blanket next to him. Wanda had a pacifier in her mouth instead of her thumb, and she was making little cooing sounds at her brother, who was gently stroking her hair and whispering to her. Steve sat next to him quietly. “You okay?”

He shrugged. “Not really.” 

He put a gentle hand on his shoulder. “Do you want me to get you anything?” 

Pietro shook his head. “I don’t know what to think right now.”

“Kid,” Steve said softly, “You know we’re always here for you, right? Whatever you need.”

“I _need_ him to go away. I want things to be quiet for once.”

“I know. I know,” he murmured, “It’s gonna be okay. Do you want me to take her for a little while so you can have some time to yourself?”  

Pietro shook his head. “I don’t like not being with her. It feels like I’m missing part of me.”

“I understand that. Really,” Steve assured him.

“Do you think we’ll have to leave?”

He sighed. “I hope not. Tony will let us know. If anyone can talk down Vision, it’s him.”  

“What about your friend?”

“Bucky is safe. For now, at least,” he said, “Vision doesn’t know that he’s in Wakanda, and even if he did, he’d have one hell of a hard time getting in and going after him. I’m worried about you, though.”

“I can take him. And didn’t Wanda already get away from him twice?”

“We can’t count on that happening every single time. Especially when he has Ross on his side,” Steve sighed, “I hate to say it, but I am scared of what he might do.” 

“I can handle-”

“Pietro, can you let me look after the two of you for once instead of trying to do _everything_ yourself? Please? Thank you.” 

That surprised him, but he didn’t argue. Pietro had a hard time letting anyone else do anything on his behalf. His parents had always joked that he going to grow up to be a control freak. Maybe they’d been right. 

Wanda had been lying on her back, but now she had flipped herself over onto her stomach, and was grabbing onto Steve’s finger with one hand. He smiled and stroked her hair gently. “God, you’re cute. Do you think we should help your brother feel better?”

“I’m fine,” Pietro grumbled.

“Do your hands still hurt?”

He glared at him, “No.” 

Steve let it go and picked Wanda up. “I’m gonna go see if I can get her to eat something. You want anything?” 

Pietro shook his head and followed him out. “No.” 

“That wasn’t a question. You’re eating something. Sit down. You need to take care of yourself. I promise I won’t make you anything that’ll poison you.” 

“I’d be more worried about me poisoning you.” 

“You and Sam have the same sense of humor, you know that?” Steve laughed as he started looking through cabinets. “And Bucky.” 

Sam looked up from what he was doing and made a face. “I do _not_ have the same sense of humor as Bucky. We have nothing in common.” 

“I think you’re actually way more alike than you’d think. I mean, both of you have no problem reminding me of how much of an idiot I am on a daily basis.”

“That’s because you _are_ an idiot, Rogers.” Sam got up and pecked him lightly on the cheek. “But I love you anyway.”

“And I sure as hell don’t deserve it. Can you hold the baby while I do this?”

“Sure,” he pulled Wanda into his arms and bounced her, “Hey, princess. How are you feeling?” 

Wanda responded by resting her face on his shoulder. Her eyes were wide, looking around her surroundings curiously, like it was the first time she was seeing any of it. Sam kept swaying with her and smiled at Pietro. “She’s a lot of fun.”

“She is.” Pietro still remembered all the happy moments they’d had back in Sokovia that came in between the daily hell. He remembered her taking care of him as best she could when he’d been so sick that he couldn’t move, and how he had told her stories late at night. It had just been the two of them against the world. 

And now it was the two of them, plus a whole bunch of new people he had never planned on having in his life. 

Sam set Wanda down, but her eyes immediately welled up with tears as she made whimpering noises and grabbed at him. He sighed and knelt down next to her. “You really want to be held, baby girl, don’t you? You’re a clingy little thing. C’mere.”

Wanda crawled up to him again and nuzzled against his shoulder. Sam rocked her back and forth, humming softly. Pietro tried to recognize the song. He’d heard Steve, Natasha and Clint sing it too. 

“That one about the spider.”

“Yeah, she freaking _loves_ it,” Sam said, “Usually we do the hand motions thing with it, but I think she just wants me to hug her right now. Dr. Samson said that physical contact is an important part of the therapeutic parenting he wants us to do, though. Good thing she’s so cuddly. Has she always been like that?”

He nodded. “She’s always liked to be held. I couldn’t get her to go to sleep any other way.” In all honestly, he had a really hard time sleeping without her right there too. 

Wanda started crying again, and Pietro almost immediately felt his heart skip a beat. “What’s wrong?”

“Relax, I probably just need to change her. I’ll be right back,” Sam stood up and kissed her forehead. “It’s okay, sweetheart. Don’t cry, okay?” 

“Pietro, come eat,” Steve called, “And don’t fight me on it, because you’re not winning this battle.” 

Before he could retort, Natasha cut in dryly, “Trust me Maximoff, don’t fight him on that.”

Pietro rolled his eyes, surprised at how he felt much less animosity towards her than he normally would have. 

No, his brain was just scattered. He and Natasha definitely still hated each others guts. 

Pietro had just sat down when Steve’s phone suddenly rang. He picked it up and drew in a sharp breath. 

“Who is it?” Clint asked in a low voice.

“Tony. One second,” he said, hitting the answer icon and walking out of the room. Pietro started eating as fast as he could in case they had to leave at a moments notice. 

“God, I fucking hate that robot,” he muttered. 

“You and me both,” Natasha sighed. “Maybe Tony fixed things with him.” 

“Do you really think he could do that?”

She shrugged. “Vision respects Tony at the very least, so yes. I think it’s possible. But I never count on anything.” 

Sam walked back in with a tearless Wanda in his arms. “All better. Where’s Steve?”

Pietro opened his mouth to answer, but was cut off by the sound of Steve’s voice saying, “Guys. We have to go.” 

Pietro felt his heart drop. “Where? Right now?”

“Tony says that Vision didn’t listen and that he just left. He wants us to move, just to be safe,” Steve said, “It might not be for long, just until we know it’s safe to be here. We need to split up. It’s going to be way easier for Vision to find all six of us in one place.”

“I’m not leaving my sister. No fucking way.”

“You don’t have to. Sam and Clint and I will go one way, you two go with Nat. Okay?”

Natasha was nodding before Pietro could say anything else. “I’ll get a burner and try to call you when I can. Pietro, you might want to pack real quick.”

Feeling like he was in a daze, Pietro moved like a whirlwind, collecting everything that they would need and putting it into bags while the others discussed a plan. He overheard snippets of it. Things about safe houses, old allies who owed favors, a plan of attack in case they needed it. He picked his sister up and kissed both her cheeks. She looked completely confused as to what was going on. 

“It’s gonna be okay,” he whispered. “I promise. I won’t let anyone keep us apart."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not the best chapter, but I hope you guys enjoyed! Thanks for all the comments so much <3


	33. Chapter 33

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is pretty bad (and late) and I'm going to blame it on the fact that I have had the most exhausting week. To all of you who continue to read and support me and my writing, I just want to thank you. 
> 
> Now I feel a little weird that I have to say this but I guess based on a comment I got recently, I kinda do. 
> 
> I've tagged every major character in the story. I've made it very clear what their roles in this fic are. I have it tagged as unfavorable towards certain characters.  
> So please, don't look at the tags, ignore them, read up until chapter 19, and leave a comment letting me know how much you hated the way I'm writing and what I'm writing about. The tags are there. It's not for everyone! And there's really just no point in reading something you know you'll dislike. 
> 
> So if you've made it to this chapter and you're going to leave a comment down below that's basically just, "I don't like this, I knew what it was about, I read it anyway, and I demand to know why you wrote it," please don't.

Pietro didn’t expect a car ride with Natasha to be anything less than awkward. For about an hour, it mainly consisted of her changing the radio station from whatever he was listening to and him changing it back, getting more and more annoyed with each passing cycle. 

“Cut it out,” he snapped, turning the station back. 

Natasha rolled her eyes. “Driver picks the music, Maximoff. And no offense, but you have horrible taste. What is that, My Chemical Romance?”

“I’ve never listened to My Chemical Romance,” he lied, “And it’s not like your stuff is any better.”

“Doesn’t matter. Quit complaining,” she rolled her eyes, “Unless _you_ want to drive.” 

“You know I don’t have a license,” he grumbled. He’d never needed one. In Sokovia, they had lived in the heart of Novi Grad. Work was within walking distance and they hadn’t had anywhere else to go. 

Natasha turned the radio up and glanced at Wanda in the rearview mirror. She was sitting quietly with her hands folded in her lap, looking out the window. Natasha had hoped she’d take a nap in the car, but that didn’t look like it was going to happen. 

She called back to her, “Hey hon, you want my phone?”

Wanda looked up, sucking on her thumb. “I want Daddy. Please?” 

“I…I know, baby,” Natasha sighed, “You’ll see him soon, I promise.” Secretly, she was worried for Steve as much as she was worried for the twins. With super soldier serum that had never been properly replicated running through his veins and a history of pissing off Ross, the man had plenty of reason to go after him. And what kind of experiments was he going to put him through to figure out exactly what it was that made him tick? 

Natasha cringed at the thought. She made a sharp right turn and said, “Just another few minutes or so. Almost there.” 

Pietro lifted his head just a bit. “Where are we going again?”

“Phil and Melinda said that we could stay with them for a little while.” 

“Do they have a house?”

“As of late, yes. And it’s completely safe. They know how to cover tracks well, or else they wouldn’t be alive right now. Neither would I. We’ll be okay there for a little while.”

“Are you sure?”

“I wouldn’t be going there if I wasn’t completely sure," she promised him, “Don’t be afraid, okay?” 

There was a hint of compassion in her voice that Pietro was unfamiliar with, but he couldn’t find any snarky comments to make over it. 

It was still somewhat early, but the sky was darkening and snow was falling heavily. Natasha’s phone rang and she answered it, speaking in a quiet voice for a few minutes before hanging up. “We’re gonna have to park in the back. Apparently Leo’s excited to see you.” 

Pietro smiled. “I’m excited to see him too.” He’d grown fond of Leo in the times he had met him. It was fun to have someone who was like a little brother too. 

Natasha finally turned down an alley and pulled into the driveway of a house Pietro never would have guessed housed a family of secret agents. They really did cover their tracks pretty well. He got out of the car and lifted his sister into his arms, smoothing her hair back. “Are you okay?” 

She shrugged. “Are you?”

“As long as I know you’re safe,” he held her a little closer to his chest, protecting her against the icy wind. “I love you, honey. It’s going to be okay.” 

Natasha cleared her throat loudly. “C’mon. You’re both going to freeze.” 

Pietro rolled his eyes. “Didn’t know you cared.” 

“Then you’re underestimating me. Big surprise,” she shot back, stalking away. Wanda looked up at Pietro and asked him if they were fighting again. 

“We’re always fighting,” he muttered as he followed Natasha up the back steps. “Don’t worry. It’s not supposed to affect you.” 

Coulson opened the door and ushered them all inside with a smile. “Hey, guys. Did you make it okay?”

Natasha nodded and gave him a brief hug. “Sorry for imposing on you.”

“After all the times you saved my ass? Impose anytime you want. Besides, you know you’re all always welcome. I wish this was under different circumstances, though.” 

“Me too,” she sighed, “Is Mel okay with it?”

“Natasha, I promise, we’re all completely happy to have you here. The kids are-”

He was cut off by Jemma running into the room and throwing her arms around Wanda. “I missed you so, so much!”

Wanda looked surprised, but smiled a little and whispered, “I missed you too.”

“We’re gonna have a sleepover,” she gushed, “It’s gonna be so fun! Have you ever had a sleepover before?”

She shook her head. Wanda only had a very vague idea of what a sleepover was, based entirely on what she had seen on TV. It was something she’d never experienced, but it looked enjoyable. “You two go ahead and play. I’ll help Natasha and Pietro get settled.” Coulson ruffled her hair, “Go on, and be good.” 

“I’m _always_ good,” Jemma stuck her tongue out at him and grabbed Wanda’s hand before running off. 

Natasha sighed, “They’re gonna be a handful.”

“I’ve found it comes with the territory,” Coulson laughed, “You all don’t mind sharing a room, do you?” 

Pietro hadn’t considered the fact that he and Natasha would get stuck together and had to keep himself from groaning. “Yeah. I mean, we just…appreciate this. Right?”

“Uh-huh.” She shot him an icy look that lasted for an instant before she turned it elsewhere. “That sounds fine. Wanda usually sleeps with one of us anyway. And…I mean, she sometimes wakes up crying or one of us will, and I just don’t want to bother you or anything.”

“Nat, don’t worry about it. We rarely get through the night lately without Daisy getting up at least once,” he shrugged, “That’s what we signed up for, right?”

She smiled, relieved. “I guess it is. I mean, Pietro didn’t really sign up for it, but-”

Pietro fixed her with a death glare. “And I’ve still loved it and never wanted anything else. Funny how that turned out.” 

“Yeah, it’s actually fucking hilarious.” 

“Do you want to talk a little more about what the hell that’s supposed to mean?” 

“Not if you’re going to lose your mind on me like you always do.” 

He sputtered, “ _Me?_ You’re the one who’s always freaking out over the stupidest little stuff!”

Coulson only looked amused. “You two sound like you could be on Dr. Phil. Come on, I’ll show you where you’re staying.” 

 

 

Pietro had spent the first ten years of his life in a run down apartment with a rent they could barely pay. After that, he’d lived on the streets in makeshift shelters, just praying that they’d be safe. So all things considered, staying in an actual house as nice as this one should have been a pretty great experience. 

Unfortunately, Natasha’s very presence was agitating him. As they tried to get settled, they were both going out of their way to bump into each other, make snide comments, and roll eyes at the smallest things. It was no different from the way things were at home, other than the fact that they were trying to keep a lid on it so as not to freak out Coulson or Melinda. 

“I’m sleeping with her,” Natasha said breezily, “You take the floor.” 

He turned around, gripping one of the bags they had packed tightly in his hands. “No way! I’m sleeping with her. _You_ take the floor. Or I’ll take the floor and she can stay down there with me.” 

“Not gonna happen. Thanks for trying.” 

“I swear to God, you’re the most irritating person in the universe,” he growled, throwing the bag on the bed, “You know what? I never liked you.” 

Her voice was sarcastic. “If it makes you feel any better, I never liked you either. Never trust anyone with that kind of look on his face. You know, the ‘I can do whatever I want and nobody has ever said shit about it,’ look.” 

“At least it’s better than your eyes that look like they’re drilling into people’s souls. No wonder everyone avoids you. I don’t know how I’ve gone this long without losing my fucking mind.” 

Natasha took a step towards him. “I’m starting to wish I had left you at home.” 

He stepped forward too. “Yeah, I’m sure you’d be fine with it if Ross killed me.” 

“You said it, not me.” 

They were inches away from each other now and Pietro was looking directly into her eyes. Her drilling into the soul, bright green eyes. 

“Well, as long as we’re on the subject,” he seethed, “If I had the last drop of water on Earth and you were dying of thirst, I wouldn’t give it to you.” 

“If we were the last people on the planet and our only chance at survival was procreation, I still wouldn’t fuck you.” 

“God, I hate you.”

“Feeling’s mutual, speedy.” 

Pietro was seconds away from exploding and had to force himself to storm out of the room before he said anything that he was going to regret. 

That being said, there were very few insults he could think of that he would regret saying to Natasha. 

Wanda was playing on the floor with Jemma, Daisy, and Leo, but reached up to her brother as soon as she saw him. “Is Sam and Daddy and Clint okay?”

“I’m sure they are,” he assured her, “Should we go get you changed?” 

She shook her head. “No, no, no. I’m okay. Really.” 

He could usually tell when she was lying, so Pietro let it go. “Alright, alright. Are you feeling okay?” 

She nodded. “I’m Cinderella. And Daisy is Ariel, Jemma’s Belle, and Leo is Hercules.”

“He’s my favorite,” Leo told him. “Do you want to play?”

“Another time, little man,” he smiled at her kindly, “I’ll leave the pretending stuff to you guys.” 

Wanda tugged on his arm. “Are you gonna watch Zootopia with us?” 

“Is there singing in it?” 

She shook her head.

“Don’t see why not.”


	34. Chapter 34

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so, so sorry that this is a late update, guys. I finished finals, went out of town, and then I got sick (I'm actually still sick) so I just haven't had the time or energy to write. And I'm afraid this chapter isn't that good either.   
> But I really am so grateful for all your nice comments and support. :) Thank you for reading! And sticking with me.

Zootopia wasn’t _as_ bad as the barrage of singing Disney princess movies that Pietro had been forced to sit through, he had to admit.

Unfortunately, he barely got to watch it. He spent most of the movie glaring at Natasha, who was holding his sister in her arms. Wanda was resting her head against her chest and her eyes had started to close just a little bit. 

Pietro didn’t want to feel angry, he knew it was probably stupid. But he had always been the one who got to hold her like that, the one who got to spend all the time in the world with her. And now Natasha had taken his little baby sister who had always, _always_ been only his, and snatched her away from him.

Pietro bit his tongue and tried not to make any snarky comments, but it was hard as hell. He was grateful when Skye asked Phil if they could have more soda and he replied with, “Sure, sweetie. Pietro, you mind giving me a hand?” 

He shook his head and stood up, following Phil into the kitchen. They didn’t say anything to each other at first. They didn’t even look at each other. 

Finally, Pietro quietly said, “I decided what I want to do.” 

Phil poured some Fanta into a plastic blue cup. “You don’t have to tell me.” 

“I know,” he said quietly. “But…I want to thank you. For giving me the files.” 

“You don’t have to thank me.” Phil seemed to realize exactly what it was Pietro planned on doing and turned to face him. “Are you going to tell anyone else?”  

“I don’t think I’ll have to. Natasha knows everyone’s secrets. I don’t think she’ll judge me either.” For once in her life. 

“It’s your decision,” Phil told him, placing two glasses in his hands, “I can’t imagine having to make that choice. I won’t judge what you want to do.” 

“Pietro?” 

He jumped slightly and turned around. “Wanda, you’re supposed to be watching the movie.” 

She ran up to him and got on the floor, wrapping her arms around his legs. “I was scared you were gone forever.” 

He sighed and knelt down, detaching her. “Can you hold on for just one minute, sweetheart? I’ll pick you up, okay?” 

She started crying. “I want you now!”

“Wanda, I know. I need you to be a big girl for me right now. One second.” He dashed out of the room, handed the two glasses of soda to Natasha, and flashed back to pick his sister up. “There you go, princess. I’ve got you.” 

Wanda started talking in Sokovic. “I miss Daddy. He’s gone. He’s gone forever.” 

“Wanda, we’ve talked about this. Just because someone isn’t with you right this second doesn’t mean they’re gone forever,” he said firmly, “I was gone for awhile, but I came back, right?” 

“I don’t want you to leave!”

Pietro sighed and took her back to the living room. Natasha gave him a look. “She okay?”

“She’s being clingy.” He sat down, took the pacifier clipped to his sister’s shirt, and slid it into her mouth, hoping it would soothe her. “It’s okay, honey. I’ve got you.” 

“Did you check if you need to change her?”

“Yes,” he lied, “I know what I’m doing, Natasha.” 

“Sure you do.”

“Why wouldn’t I?”

“You’re the one who’s proven to be the irresponsible one over and over again.” 

Before he could retort, Leo reached over and tugged on his sleeve. “Pietro, is the bad guys gonna win?”

He smiled down at him. “I don’t think so, little man. The good guys always win, right?” 

“Not always,” Skye said, “I was playing dinosaurs yesterday and the evil T-Rex ate the triceratops.” 

Jemma frowned. “That’s sad. He should say sorry.” 

“He can’t say sorry! He’s the bad guy! I can make him spit him out if you want.”

“That’s scientifically impossible.” 

May rolled her eyes. “You two are ridiculous, I swear. Come on, movie’s almost over and you all need a bath.”

Skye jumped up. “I’m going first!” 

“You and Leo, Wanda and Jem can go after,” Melinda put each hand on their shoulders. “Go on.”

 

It took a lot to detach Wanda from her brother, but the promise of being with him in at least half an hour was enough to get her to let go with a minimal amount of tears. While Natasha rubbed strawberry scented shampoo in her hair and occasionally checked her phone, Wanda let Jemma take both her hands and squeeze them gently. “He’s just outside the door.” 

Wanda frowned. “Don’t you miss _your_ brother?” 

“I don’t miss people like you do. But that’s okay. Here,” she pushed some bubbles together. “It’s a castle.” 

“With a princess?”

She nodded. “And a unicorn. I have a unicorn-well, she’s just a toy, but I love her. Do you want to see?”

Natasha stood up suddenly, glancing at her now ringing phone. “One second, girls. I’ll be right back.” 

She was gone, and Wanda felt her heart start to race in a complete panic. She leaned over, desperately trying to see her, hands shaking. Jemma moved closer and whispered, “It’s okay. She’s coming back.” 

_What if she doesn’t?_

Wanda let Jemma wrap her up in a hug, breathing in the scent of her soapy hair. It was comforting. Not in the same way as Natasha, but still. It felt nice. 

“How come you’re always so scared of people leaving?” Jemma asked softly, “Don’t you know they come back?” 

“Mama and Papa didn’t . And Pietro wasn’t s’posed to. He almost died forever too,” she whispered. 

“But he did.” 

“He _almost_ didn’t,” her voice wobbled, “He didn’t for a year and now Daddy and Sam and Clint-”

“They’ll be okay.” 

Wanda started to cry and Jemma hugged her a little tighter. “Don’t be scared. You’re Cinderella, remember? She has a happy ending. And she has a lot of love.” 

She let her eyes flutter shut. “I love you, Jemma. You’re my bestest friend.” 

“I love you too. To the moon and back-that’s what Mummy always says. It means I love you a lot, a lot. Okay?” 

The door opened and Melinda walked in. “I’m going to finish you two up. Wanda, your daddy is on the phone.” 

She didn’t let go of Jemma, but her eyes widened slightly. “He is?”

“You can talk to him right after this,” she promised. “Come on, let’s get you all cleaned up.” 

Jemma gave her a light squeeze. “Told you it would be okay.” 

 

 

Steve sounded tired on the phone. Wanda could tell that he was stressed out and wished that she was there to make him feel better. She gripped Natasha’s phone in one hand, using the other to rub her eye with a fist. Pietro was holding her in his lap again, stroking her slightly damp hair. Wanda was slightly cold, wearing just a pull up and an oversized T-shirt of her brothers. She burrowed into his warmth and kicked her feet. 

“I miss you,” she said into the speaker. “I miss you, Daddy.” 

“I know, baby girl. Daddy misses you too.” 

“You’re okay?”

She could almost see him slowly nodding. “We’re staying with Auntie Sharon, and we’ll be safe here. You’re having fun with the other kids, right?” 

“Yeah. We watched a movie.” 

“That sounds like fun. I’m glad you guys are staying with them. Can you give the phone back to Mommy?” 

Wanda pouted. “I wanna talk to you.” 

“I know, sweetheart. I promise I’ll be with you soon, okay?”

It was a promise she knew he might not be able to keep, but she didn’t say it. “Okay. I love you, Dad.” 

“I love you too.” 

Wanda handed Natasha the phone back and leaned onto her brother again. He rocked her back and forth and whispered, “It’s time for you to get to bed, sweetheart.” 

She frowned. “Not tired.” 

“You look pretty tired to me,” he stood up, still holding her. “Do you want to say goodnight to Jemma?” 

Wanda nodded and blew her friend a kiss. “Night, Jem.” 

“Goodnight.” She blew her a kiss back, “See you in the morning!” 

“It’s bedtime for you too,” Phil told her, helping her up from her spot on the floor. “I’d read a story, but I think Skye and Leo already fell asleep.” 

“You can read one tomorrow,” Jemma said, leaning up to give him a hug. “Can you come give goodnight kisses anyway?”

 “Oh, you know I’ll always do that. Go on and get in bed. I’m just going to get your water real quick.” 

“Okay!” She ran off while Pietro took Wanda to the room they were staying in, closing the door behind him. Natasha was still on the phone with Steve, so at least he didn’t have to be around her for the moment. 

Wanda had her pacifier in her mouth again and was crawling all over him as soon as he lay down. Pietro sat up and let her sit on his lap, facing him. She wasn’t fussing anymore, but he could tell that she was a little overtired. 

“Do you want to lie down? Come here, love,” he wrapped his arms around her and let her lay down on top of him. He was bigger than her, and she didn’t weigh too much, so it was without issue. Wanda grabbed a little fistful of the fabric on his shirt, gripping it tightly as if it was a lifeline. Pietro ran a hand up and down from the top of her back to the bottom of her spine, hoping to soothe her. He didn’t notice Natasha come in until she said softly, “You got her to go down pretty easy.” 

“Well, I do know how to take care of her. I did it on my own for a long time, remember?” He didn’t try to hide any snark. 

“I was giving you a compliment, Maximoff. You can try to take it somewhat nicely.” 

Pietro moved Wanda off of him. She would probably wake up crying in the night later on, but for now they’d be okay. “I’m _so_ sorry if I’m a little wary of you saying anything nice to me. I’m just not used to it. It’s not like you’ve given me much reason to think you like me.” 

“Do you ever stop being sarcastic? It gets old real fast.” 

“Oh, fuck off.” 

“You know, I have no problem telling you to go sleep in the car.” 

“Fine,” he snapped, “There’s booze in there. I’ll be fine.” 

She actually looked surprised. “Really?” 

“I wasn’t going to get buzzed and drive but I brought some with just in case I needed a way to drink away the pain of being around you all the time.” 

“Well, in that case, I’m going to get the booze,” she turned around, “Because being around you is ten times worse.” 

Pietro stalked after her, speaking in a stage whisper so they didn’t wake anyone else up. “I fucking hate you, you know that?” 

“I hate you too. That works out pretty well.” She grabbed her jacket and put it on before going out the door. Pietro followed her, seething and barely noticing the cold. Natasha unlocked the car and got in the drivers seat, putting her feet up on the dashboard. Pietro slammed the door to the passengers side. “If you’re going to take it, you’d better share it.”

“Fine.” She reached over and opened the glove compartment. “I _knew_ it’d be in there. You’re predictable.” 

Pietro glared at her and grabbed it. “You can’t go one minute without insulting me, can you?”

“You just make it so easy. Come on, hit me up,” she motioned with her hands. “I really do need a drink.” 

 

 

Phil put his book down and looked up at Melinda, who was scrolling through her phone. “Did Natasha say anything about Rogers and Wilson?” 

“She said that they’re okay. They’re with Agent 13,” she said, “Sharon’s great, she’ll take care of them.” 

“Well, I know that the kids are really excited to have a playmate here,” he said, “I think it’s good for Wanda to have someone to play with too.” 

“Yeah. I’d never say it to his face, but man, she is _so_ clingy with her brother. Not that I don’t understand it,” May said quietly, “I do. And she’s a really sweet kid. I just think that if they ever had to be apart again…” 

“I know. Steve told me that she was just completely crushed when they thought he was dead.”

“They only had each other all their lives. I can see why she would be.”

“Yeah,” he said slowly, “You know, I don’t think Pietro and Natasha like each other that much.”

May nodded. “You noticed that too, huh? Jesus, talk about a rivalry. It’s like two parents in a custody battle.” 

“When you have two people who are really similar, I guess that happens. They’re way more alike than they think,” Coulson leaned forward and took her hand. “You know how it goes.” 

She smirked. “Are you suggesting that I’m anything like you?” 

“Not a chance. You’re too smart, too beautiful, too fun.” 

“But you have the nice car.” 

He laughed softly. “I guess that counts for something, doesn’t it? We should probably get to bed before Skye gets up.” 

“You never know, maybe she’ll make it through the night.” May took a pause, “On second thought? Not happening.” 

 

 

Natasha and Pietro weren’t completely hammered, but anyone would be able to tell that they were both intoxicated. 

In all fairness, Pietro had brought along a pretty large bottle of booze. 

“I can’t fucking believe you did this,” Natasha muttered, wiping her mouth, “But I appreciate it. Do you think we should get back inside?”

“No, it’s too early in the night for her to wake up. Unless she has a nightmare, but that’s not usually this early either,” he took the bottle back from her. “Jesus, it’s freezing.”

“I turned the heat on.” 

“Still.” 

“Well, Phil and Mel were nice enough to allow us a place to hide and I don’t want to get sloppy drunk in their house. Deal,” she tilted her head back. “Pietro? Seriously, why do you hate me so much?” 

He almost spat out what he was drinking. “ _Me?”_

“Yeah, I’m talking to you.” 

“You hated me first!”

She rolled her eyes. “That’s not true.” 

“Yes, it is!” In all honesty, Pietro couldn’t actually remember who had hated who first, but he had a need to contradict everything Natasha said. “You hated me from the second I woke up in that magic fucking cradle thing.” 

“It’s not magic, it’s science. And I didn’t hate you, I helped you adjust to the world. I only hated you when you tried to take my daughter away.” 

“I haven’t taken her away,” Pietro snapped, thrusting the bottle into her hand. “In case you haven’t noticed, she fucking _loves_ you. So much that apparently she doesn’t need me anymore-”

“Oh, don’t be like that. You think she’s not completely stuck on you?” Natasha raised her voice, “You’re her whole entire goddamn universe and you still can’t let me have a few minutes with her without going apeshit.” 

“You’re exaggerating.” 

“I wish I was. That would mean I don’t actually have to put up with your shit.” 

“You criticize everything I do with her!”

“I wouldn’t if you would just do things right.” 

“See? You’re doing it again. That’s your fucking problem.” 

Natasha slammed a hand down. “You know what, Pietro? I don’t really care. I’m not going to  be out of her life, so you’d better get used to it.” 

“Does that mean I have to be happy about it?”

They were inches away from each other, both giving off icy glares.

“You’re a bitch.” 

“You’re a douche.” 

They were one inch closer. 

 

 

Pietro wasn’t sure what time he had gone back inside the night before. He barely remembered Wanda crying and him putting her back to sleep. It always took a little while in the morning for him to recall what had gone on the night before. 

Eyes barely open, he turned to look at Natasha. They had been drinking, in the car…

Wanda was still asleep, curled up close to him. Natasha opened her eyes and sat up a little bit, rubbing her forehead. “What time is it?” 

“Early,” Pietro felt like he was never going to be able to look her in the eye again. 

Natasha didn’t seem to care about that and turned to face him anyways. 

“So. We fucked in the car last night, didn’t we?” 


	35. Chapter 35

It was starting to come back to him now. They’d been drunk, and then they were kissing. Natasha’s hands had slipped under his shirt and then he was on top of her and then-

Jesus Christ. 

“I…” Pietro desperately tried to think of what to say. “Natasha-”

“We can pretend it never happened.” 

“How the fuck are we supposed to pretend that never happened?” he hissed, “ _I fucked you!”_

“Correction. _I_ fucked _you_.”

Pietro glared at her. “You have got to be kidding me.” 

“No, really. If I recall correctly, I had you begging for it.” 

“Can we…can we not talk about this with her in the room?” he gestured to Wanda, who was starting to stir. “I can’t believe this is happening.” 

“You and me both, buddy. Remind me to never drink with you again.” Natasha rolled out of bed and ran a hand through her tousled, red hair. Pietro tried not to stare at her.

_Fuck, fuck, fuck._

Wanda pushed herself up and crawled over to Pietro so she could sit in his lap. He kissed her forehead, hoping that she couldn’t tell he was fucking dying on the inside. 

“Daddy?” Wanda asked hopefully, rubbing her eyes. 

Pietro shook his head. “Daddy’s not here right now, honey. Remember how we talked about having to be away from him for a little while until things quiet down? Don’t cry. Come on, can I get you dressed?” 

She shook her head and grabbed onto him tightly. He rolled his eyes. “Okay, well I’m getting you ready anyway. Up.” 

“No!” She raised her voice slightly. Pietro took a deep breath. The last thing he needed was her melting down. Everything was enough of a disaster already. 

“I know you miss Daddy,” he told her in Sokovic. They both preferred communicating that way rather than in English. “But I really need you to be my big girl right now. So you can cooperate or I can put you in a time out, but either way-”

Wanda grabbed onto his shirt and tugged. “Want him _now_!”

“Do not test me, Wanda Maximoff. Not now,” he told her firmly. “Do you want me to count to three?” 

“ _No!”_

Natasha finally spoke. “Do you want Mommy to help you?”

Pietro glared at her. “Can you not do that right now?” 

“Do what?” 

“Get in the middle of it when I have things under control. Wanda-stop!” He grabbed onto her right as she was about to throw herself onto the floor, crying. Pietro finally picked her up and with some amount of effort, managed to get the shirt she was wearing off. Natasha glared at him. “You’re being too rough with her.”

Eyes wild, he met her gaze, seething. “Do _you_ want to try to do this?”

“Why should I? According to you, you know how to do things with her just fine without anybody’s help.” 

It took everything Pietro had not to completely lose his mind and start full on yelling at her. Wanda finally went limp in his arms and was looking up at him, shaking. “Pietro?” 

“Mmm?” 

“Sorry,” she was still crying, “I’m sorry. Don’t be sad, I’m really, really sorry.” 

He took a deep breath and closed his eyes for a moment or two, trying to let himself relax. After he felt himself start to calm down, he picked her up and kissed her cheek. “Are you going to do that again?” 

She shook her head. 

“Okay. That’s all I need to know. I love you, sweetheart, and I’m not angry. I promise. I just really need you to be good for me, yeah?” 

Wanda rubbed her eyes and hid away in the crook of his neck again. Pietro swayed with her a little bit and rubbed circles on her back. “You’re okay, you’re okay. I’ve got you. Can I put you down so I can get you dressed?” 

She clung tighter. “Don’t want you to go.” 

“I’m not going anywhere, princess. Come on, please?” 

Despite what Pietro had said just minutes before, Natasha came over and gently tugged his sister out of his arms. “Alright, missy. Give your brother a break. Do you want to come to Mommy?” 

Pietro had to bite his tongue. 

 

Phil was making coffee with Melinda in the kitchen when Pietro walked in, still slightly bleary eyed. “Good morning.” 

“Morning,” Phil smiled at him. “How’d you sleep?” 

“Um…” he froze, feeling his heart start to thud faster again. “It was…good. Yeah. It was great.”

“Did you go outside last night? I thought I heard the door open.” 

“I just…had to get something from the car,” he muttered, doing his very best to avoid eye contact. Natasha seemed to be doing the same thing, and was staying silent.

May gave them both a suspicious look. “You heard from Steve again?”

“Apparently Tony is meeting with Ross. He’ll listen to him-I hope so anyway,” she sighed, “Maybe they can work out some kind of deal.” 

“What about Vision?” 

“He’s loyal to the general. If he tells him to back off, he will. Even if that means he can’t be around Wanda anymore,” she shuddered slightly. “He _babysat_ her a whole bunch of times. I seriously hate thinking about him being alone with her.” 

May lowered her voice and looked over her shoulder into the other room where the kids were sitting on the floor watching cartoons. “You don’t think he did anything, do you?” 

“I don’t think so. She hasn’t said anything about it in therapy or anything-then again, she hates talking about any of the stuff that we _know_ has happened to her,” she sighed, “It’s really hard to tell what she’s keeping inside. I’m trying to do the therapeutic parenting thing, but it’s been so hard with all of this going on…” 

Phil nodded, handing her a cup of coffee. “I know. We went through that with Skye a little while back. It’s hard when they have a routine disrupted.” 

“No kidding. She’s a wreck. I hope her therapist can help a little bit when we go back to see him, but I feel like she’s just losing all the progress she started making,” she sighed, glancing at Pietro, “I mean, you saw how she was with you this morning.” 

“She’s always like that,” he said a bit stiffly, knowing it wasn’t entirely true. Wanda had bad anxiety and she had always been really clingy, but she hadn’t had near panic attacks over him leaving for a little while before either. “She just likes to be held.”

“I’m not criticizing her. I’m just worried,” Natasha sighed, her tone clearly saying, _don’t be so oversensitive._

Pietro was staring at her silently again, trying to make sense of the night before. The more he thought about it, the more he was coming to the horrible realization that she had most definitely had him begging for it, and even worse, that he had _liked_ it.

They’d also spilled a lot of alcohol on the front seat. That was going to be a bitch to clean up. 

“Pietro?” Phil waved a hand in front of his face, “You okay?”

He blinked and brought his mind back to the present, stammering out, “Y-yeah. I’m okay. I’m just…going to go check on her.” 

“Yeah, that’s probably a good idea. It wouldn’t shock me if they all went getting into trouble,” he joked, “I’d better get them something to eat anyway. Your sister isn’t allergic to anything, right?”

“She eats anything. When we were in Sokovia we had to dig in the trash behind restaurants sometimes. ” 

Natasha actually looked almost shocked. “Are you serious?” 

“What the hell else was I supposed to do, let us both starve?” 

“Oh, Jesus. That’s not what I meant.” 

Pietro restrained himself from making some snarky response and stalked away. Why the hell did this have to happen to him? 

Wanda and Jemma were sitting next to each other and watching that show about talking ponies that Pietro had grown to hate with a passion. Wanda reached up to him, making grabby hands. “Up, up.” 

Pietro sat next to her and pulled her into his lap. “We might be able to go home today.” 

“With Sam? And Daddy and Clint?” 

“Yep. As long as Tony can work something out,” he said, smoothing her hair back. “Baby girl, I might have to go out for a little while, okay?” 

Wanda’s lower lip trembled. “Why?”

“Don’t cry. It won’t be for long. I just have to go do something important. I won’t be gone long, okay?” He kissed her cheek. “You can play with your friends.” 

Jemma tugged on his arm. “Are you going far away?” 

“No, not too far,” he assured her, letting her crawl closer and lean against him. “Natasha will be here.”

“Is Mommy mad at you still?”

Pietro blushed. “I don’t know.”

“Were you gone las’ night?” Wanda asked him, “I thought you were and I cried.” 

The thought that his sister had been crying for him while he’d been in the car getting hate fucked by her adoptive mother did not help to make Pietro feel better about the situation. He lied and said, “You probably dreamed it. We were there.” 

“I missed you in my dream.” 

“I know, honey. I know,” he gave her another kiss and set her down. “Natasha, I’m going out.”

She walked in, looking confused. “What? Where?”

“Just…to get a few things.” 

“What things?” 

“I don’t know. Can’t I do anything without you getting on my back about it?” he snapped, exchanging a knowing look with Phil. “Just give me a couple hours.” 

Natasha looked like she wanted to argue with him, but he was gone within moments. 

 

According to the files Phil had given him, Pietro didn’t have to go far to find either of the men he was looking for, especially with the ability to run with super-speed. He wasn’t thinking about what he was doing-he just knew. He was moving with one purpose and there wasn’t anything that was going to stop him from reaching it. 

The only thing in his mind was that godforsaken video that he wished he had never seen. His sister in a shock collar and crying while they violated her in the worst way. 

Pietro knew the house when he saw it-it was small, a little bit rundown. In front of it was a car that was small enough to indicate this man didn’t have a family. Well, that was something. 

Pietro’s felt sick as he rang the doorbell and heard the sound of footsteps coming towards the door. 

_This is it. This is it._

The man-no, that _monster_ -swung the door open. “Can I help you?” 

Pietro didn’t wait. In a blast of speed, he was inside, the door locked behind him, and the man was pinned up against the wall, shouting loudly in protest. 

“Hey, hey! What the fuck, man?” 

He wrapped one hand around his throat, squeezing as tightly as he could. “You son of a bitch.”

 “L-look, I don’t know what your beef is but we c-can work this out-”

“Work it out?” Pietro repeated furiously, “ _Work it out?_ You’re not that fucking lucky.” 

In another instant he had let go of him and thrown him into the wall adjacent to the one he had had him pinned up against with a heavy thud. The man cried out and backed away on the floor. “Jesus fucking Christ, you goddamn maniac, I’ve never even met you!”

“You’re right. You haven’t. But I think you met my sister,” Pietro said in a low voice, having the man pinned to the floor in an instant. “You might remember her.” 

“I-don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about-”

“Oh, let’s see if I can jog your memory,” he lifted him up and slammed him back into the floor, hard. “Brown hair, green eyes, magic powers…oh, and the mentality of a toddler. Sound familiar?” 

That was all it took for the color to drain out of his face in dread as he realized exactly who Pietro was talking about. “I-I…I’m sorry. _Please-fuck!”_ He shouted in pain again right as a fist hit him in the face, once, twice, three times, over and over. “Fuck, man, I was just having some fun with her, that’s all!”

Pietro lifted him up off the ground, putting him in a chokehold yet again. “She was crying. She was in pain. She was terrified, and she didn’t understand what was happening, and you were just _having some fun?_ You fucking know what you did, you sick son of a bitch.” 

“It wasn’t that bad!”

“I saw it!” He practically roared, _“I saw you!”_

“Look,” he choked out, “I-I’ll say I’m sorry, I’ll do anything, just please don’t-”

“Kill you? That would be too nice,” he hissed, “When I’m done with you, you’re going to go to General Ross. You’re going to resign and you’re going to tell him and anyone else there that you are a rapist and a sad, evil little man. You are never going to touch a woman again and you are going to know that if you have ever stuck your pathetic, shriveled dick where it doesn’t belong ever again, I will find you and I will _fucking end you_.”

He nodded frantically. “Okay. Okay! Anything you say.” 

Pietro dropped him to the floor and kicked him once in disgust. There was nothing more he could say. 

He walked out of the house in a daze, leaving the man in a heap on the floor. It had taken a hell of a lot of self restraint not to kill him-and he knew that he could have. 

But he couldn’t take care of his sister from prison. 

Once he was a few miles away, he felt his phone buzz in his pocket. He answered it, hoping that he didn’t sound too flustered. “Hello?” 

Natasha’s voice came through. “Tony got through to Ross. We can go home.” 


	36. Chapter 36

“How did you do it?” 

Tony, sitting across the table from Steve and Sam in their kitchen, drummed his fingers on the table and said, “I…I know things about Ross. Well, shit I recently found out, really. It was pretty damn good timing.”  

“Like-”

“Like stuff he wouldn’t want the public to know-and they will know if he doesn’t keep his ass in line. I never really considered myself the kind of person to blackmail but…you know what, I really don’t feel bad about doing that to him. If anything, consider it revenge for all the shit he pulled on Bruce.”

“And Vision?” 

He sighed. “That’s a whole other ballgame, Cap. He’s not really speaking to me. Apparently he’s had his sights set elsewhere for a long time now.” 

Sam looked concerned. “But he won’t try to come back?” 

“To harass you guys? Doubt it. But I’ll keep an eye out anyway,” he shrugged, looking around. “For now, at least you guys are home.” 

“And we can stay home,” Steve breathed a sigh of relief. “It’s nice.” 

“Yeah, about that,” Tony said slowly, “I was thinking-”

He stopped short as the door opened and Natasha called out that they were home. Steve got up and almost immediately found himself being hugged by Wanda. “Daddy, Daddy!”

“Hey, princess!” He immediately smiled and picked her up. “Oh man, I really missed you. Were you good for Mommy?” 

“She was very good,” Natasha said, sitting down. “And now she needs a nap. I could use one too, to be honest.” 

“I’ll put her down,” Steve said, taking a careful look at Natasha. “Are you okay, Nat?” 

She avoided eye contact with him. “I’m fine.”

“Are you sure?”

“I’m just tired, Steve. The past few days have been a little bit crazy. And I have no idea where Pietro is.” 

“What?” Sam looked alarmed. “What do you mean?” 

“He just left this morning and said he had stuff to do. I didn’t ask, okay? It’s none of my business.” 

“I get that, but don’t you think-”

“Guys, I don’t want to talk about it,” Natasha said, agitated. “So, Tony. You managed to get everything with…You Know Who smoothed over?”

He nodded. “Yeah, you could say that. He’ll get off your backs, and with any luck, it’s going to stay that way. And as for Vis-I mean, V-I-S-I-O-N,” he spelled it out, “Well, it looks like he’s going to be out of the picture too.” 

Natasha breathed a sigh of relief. “I hate to say it, but I owe you one, Stark.” 

“Can you say that one more time so I can record it?” 

She rolled her eyes. “Can’t you ever take a compliment without the added commentary?” 

“I’ll work on it. Anyway,” he clasped his hands together and leaned forward. “I was thinking. And you can say no if you want, I’ll definitely get it, but I thought I’d ask. Because I guess things have been…well, lonely.”

Steve gave him a look. “Are you really trying to say you miss having other people around you all the time?”  
“You’re not just people,” Tony said dryly, “You’re…well, I don’t know. I guess I kinda like having you guys around, and I like having the little one,” he nodded towards Wanda, “I like having her there too. I know I haven’t talked to Pietro that much but he seems like a nice guy, and the Tower has plenty of room-look, do you want to move back in? This place was just supposed to be for you to lay low and now you don’t really have to anymore.” 

Clint actually looked shocked. “Are you serious?”

He rolled his eyes. “As serious as I can be, Barton. You guys are..you know, kinda like a fam-you know what? Never mind.I’m not going to say the big F word.” 

Wanda looked up from her spot on Steve’s lap. “The big F word is fuck.” 

Sam nearly choked on his coffee. “Wanda, we don’t say that.”

“Mommy said it once.”

“Mommy was under stress,” Natasha mumbled. “I’ll say fuck if I want, kid.” 

“Nat!” Sam said exasperatedly, “Don’t encourage it!”

Tony smirked. “See? I miss this kind of thing.”

A knock on the door got Natasha to stand up and go answer it. As a precautionary measure, she kept her hand on her gun until she saw who it was. She breathed a sigh of relief and then narrowed her eyes. “Where were you?” 

“Out,” Pietro muttered, shoving past her and refusing to look her in the eye. Natasha followed him, raising her voice. “You can’t just go and not tell anyone where you are!”

“I’m not allowed to do anything on my own?”

“That’s not what I said, but-”

“Forget it, Natasha! I don’t want to talk about it!” Pietro was just a level below yelling. Clint looked like he was about to ask what was going on, but seemed to think better of it and kept his mouth shut. 

“Hey, kid,” Steve smiled at him kindly, “You okay?”

“I’m fine,” he muttered, sitting down and keeping his eyes downcast. “What’s going on?” 

Steve stood up with Wanda still in his arms. “I’ll let Tony explain it. This one needs a nap. So could I, to be honest. I couldn’t sleep last night.” 

“I’ll go with you,” Natasha said quickly, putting a hand on his arm and half dragging him out of the room until they were out of earshot. Wanda’s eyes were starting to close, and she was hanging onto Steve like he was the most important thing in the world. He kissed her cheek and whispered, “I’m gonna set you down for a second, okay?”

She shook her head and clung tighter. “No. no. Daddy, please no.” 

“I’m not leaving, but I want to change you, okay? I promise I’ll be right here.” 

Wanda still looked mistrusting and cried out a little bit when he set her down, but other than that, didn’t make too much of a fuss. She looked like she was getting sleepy anyway. 

Natasha looked at Steve and whispered, “I have to tell you something.” 

“What?” 

“I have to tell you-”

“No, I mean, what do you want to tell me? And can you grab me her pacifier?” 

She nodded, feeling uncharacteristically nervous.  Nothing ever scared her. She’d fucked a ton of people she hated before. This shouldn’t be any different. But for some godforsaken reason, it was, and now she was starting to feel sick to her stomach. 

Steve finished up with Wanda and picked her up again. “There go, baby girl. All better.” 

“Here,” Natasha, handed him the pacifier and let him put it in her mouth. “She really missed you, Steve. Actually, she kinda had a meltdown over it this morning.” 

“Really?” he looked surprised, “She doesn’t usually throw tantrums.” 

“I know, but she was really upset. Daddy’s little princess, through and through. She just wants you right there.” She couldn’t help but smile a little bit. 

Steve lay down and let Wanda curl up on his chest. “She sure is tired. No sleep last night?” 

Natasha remembered what she had said about waking up while she and Pietro had been gone and immediately felt guilty. “You know. The usual.” 

“Yeah,” he nodded, rubbing little circles on her back. “So…what do you think? Do you want to move  back?” 

She shrugged. “We always knew this place was temporary.” 

“That’s true. It’d be nice to have more room. Sam and Clint seemed pretty on board with the idea, but do you think Pietro will want to?” 

“About that,” Natasha lowered her voice and eyed Wanda. “Are you sure she’s asleep?”

“Yeah,” he looked at her oddly. “Why?” 

She took a deep breath. “Basically, Pietro and I were…well, we were fighting again because he was being a jackass-”

“Nat,” Steve groaned, “Again? Really?” 

“I know, I know. Skip the lecture,” she sighed, rubbing her forehead. “Anyway, it was super late and we put her down for bed, and then he told me that he was going to go drink because he brought booze in the car.” 

Steve looked horrified. “He drank and drove?” 

“No! He just had it on him! Anyway, we went out to the car and had a drink and we were fighting,” she took a deep breath, “We got pretty wasted. And…look, one thing led to another-”

“You got into a _physical fight?”_

“Well, that’s one way of putting it.”

He groaned. “Nat. C’mon.” 

Natasha opened her mouth, finding the words stuck in her throat. It took almost a minute for her to finally manage to say, “I slept with Pietro.” 

Steve didn’t seem to register what she had just said at first, simply staring at her with his mouth hanging slightly agape as it sunk in. “I… _what?”_

“I’m not gonna say it again, Rogers.” 

“Jesus Christ, Nat!” He raised his voice, looking absolutely horrified. “You’re messing with me right now, aren’t you? You have to be.” 

“I wish I was,” she muttered, “I don’t know what happened.”

“That is the most out of character thing in the world for you,” he stage whispered, trying to keep quiet. “Pietro? You two hate each other!”

“I know, I know,” she rubbed her forehead. “And now I seriously don’t know what the hell to do. Should I talk to him about it?”

“You’re asking _me_?”

“Yeah, I’m asking you. You’re one of my best friends. I’d ask Clint, but…I don’t know. You’re more levelheaded about this kind of shit.” 

Steve rolled his eyes. “Thanks. But Nat, I really don’t get why you’d do this. You _and_ him. You can’t be in the same room for a few seconds without being at each other’s throats.” 

She shrugged, sighing. “I don’t know. I really don’t. And usually I wouldn’t need advice but…he’s Wanda’s brother and she’s crazy about him. How would she feel if she knew?” 

A wave of silence settled over them while Steve mulled it over. Wanda made a little whimpering noise in her sleep, and he immediately held her closer, keeping her cradled against his chest. 

“She doesn’t have to know,” he said finally, “Even if you guys-for some insane reason-decide you want to keep that up. I just don’t think it would be a good idea. She wouldn’t understand.” 

Natasha nodded, keeping her hands clasped together. “Yeah, that’s probably for the best.”  
Steve looked relieved. “Good. Jesus, I’m still processing all this. I really can’t believe it. You and Pietro.” 

She gave him a dirty look. “It’s not like we’re a thing. He was a great fuck.” 

“Please don’t give me all the gory details. You can save _those_ for Clint.” 

 

 

It was late at night, and Pietro still hadn’t looked at Natasha at all. He hadn’t told anyone about what he’d gone off and done that day either, and he honestly didn’t think he ever would. They didn’t need to know. He’d given them what they deserved. He’d put both of them through hell. 

Vigilante justice. He doubted the others would really approve of the methods he’d used, but hey. It was over now. 

Everyone else was asleep and Tony had gone home after they had finished talking about moving back in. Pietro wasn’t quite sure how he felt about it, but he didn’t want to hold everyone else back. To them, that was home. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad. It would sure be a step up from sleeping in the streets. 

A little over a year ago, he and Wanda had had nothing. He’d been so convinced they’d end up being killed, that he’d never be able to give them a life of safety. 

And now they had this. 

“Pietro?” 

He jumped slightly and looked over his shoulder. “Why are you up?”

“Got scared,” Wanda ran into his arms and climbed up on his lap. “You were gone.” 

“Oh, sweetheart,” he sighed, starting to stroke her hair. “I won’t be gone anymore, okay? I promise.”

“But in my dreams you’re all gone,” she sniffled, “Forever, and you don’t love me anymore and I never, ever see you again.” 

Pietro held her closer and started to rock her gently. “I’ll always love you.” 

“Even when I’m bad?”

“You’re never _bad_. You’re such a good girl,” he promised her, “I’ll love you even when you don’t listen.” 

“And when I cry?” 

“Then too.” 

“Even if I have an accident?” 

“Even then-I’ll love you forever, okay? You don’t have to worry about that. I won’t leave you again. I don’t want to be away from you either,” he murmured, “Things are going to get better now.” 

Wanda was doing her best not to cry, but failing miserably. “It doesn’t feel better. Not yet.” 

“Oh, honey. I know.” Pietro felt himself on the verge of tears. He hated it when she cried. “It doesn’t have to feel better right now.” 

“I can’t stop thinking it. _It.”_

With that, Pietro was almost glad he hadn’t killed the two men from the file. If he _had_ been caught and forced into prison, there was no way he could help his sister the way she needed-and the effect they’d left on her would still be there. The horrible memories of the experiments and what happened in Sokovia were never really going to go away. And Pietro knew neither one of them could go through it alone.

“I know, sweetheart,” he repeated in a whisper, “I know.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, this was the last chapter of this particular story. But because this poor website just can't get rid of me (and it probably should) I'm continuing to write in this particular verse. Instead of following a particular storyline, I'm just going to be doing a combination of prompts/whatever inspiration I have and write about Wanda's life after all this and Pietro and Natasha trying to navigate their relationship.   
> Thank you so, so much for reading guys. <3 You stuck with me through this story and I really don't deserve it, but I am so appreciative.

**Author's Note:**

> Reviews are always appreciated!  
> Unless ya totally hated it, in which case...sorry.


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